Sunday afternoon in Denver, the streets will suddenly empty, stores will go vacant, and the only sounds wafting around neighborhoods will be from TV sets tuned to the big game, as the Denver Broncos play for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
Is there any other type of occasion that clears stores, streets and ski slopes?
“Nothing, except for tragedy – Sept. 11, a hurricane or disaster,” said Allyce Najimy, senior associate director of the Boston- based Center for the Study of Sport in Society. “But this is great. This is a positive thing. It’s a unifier.”
Nevertheless, businesses and events in Colorado can expect a drastic slowdown at game time.
A lack of crowds may be great for skiers, who will see empty slopes Sunday.
“We should be busy in the morning, but people will trickle out fairly quickly after lunch,” said Rob Linde, director of marketing at Eldora Mountain Resort.
Arapahoe Basin ski area spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer agreed skier visits should be lower than average Sunday.
“It will be a great day to be out there because we’re not expecting long lift lines and it’s going to be a powder day,” she said.
And the afternoon promises to be a boon for shoppers, who can take advantage of barren malls and deserted grocery stores.
But the game poses a problem for merchants and event organizers.
The National Western Stock Show & Rodeo’s final day is Sunday. And the final rodeo performance starts an hour after the 1 p.m. kickoff.
“We’re a little nervous,” said stock show spokeswoman Kati Anderson. “We have a great attendance streak going. … But we’re going to do the best we can. We’ll have the game on here. We’re Broncos fans. We want them to do well. But the fact is, when they go to the playoffs, it’s a hard thing.”
Two big-screen TVs will be set up, and adults wearing orange and blue will get a $2 discount off admission.
Cherry Creek Shopping Center is also prepared, said spokeswoman Lisa Herzlich.
The mall is expecting to see a boost in business Saturday because of the 8,000 out-of-towners expected in Denver for the game. And Sunday, “the game is going to be on all over the mall,” she said. Televisions will be playing the game on both levels, including in one area with couches and other comfortable seating.
“We do know that businesses will trail a bit,” she said. “Denver is such a Bronco town. Whenever they play, you do see a drop in traffic. Merchants understand that.”
The Tattered Cover Book Store didn’t schedule any book signings or other events Sunday because that wouldn’t be fair to the authors, said Heather Duncan, marketing director.
“It will affect our sales and brunch at the restaurant,” she said. “But I’m sure there are some people who will say the shopping will be good on Sunday because (of) fewer people.”
Tiffany Barnhart of Denver, for one, makes it a point to head to the grocery store when the Broncos take to the field.
“There is no one else in the store, and it takes me a quarter of the time to go through,” she said.
True enough, said Trail Daugherty, spokesman for King Soopers.
“I can just tell you that it’s very intense and crazy about two hours before a game,” he said. “The lines are long, and people are eager and anxious to make it home on time. Then it becomes the perfect time to go shopping.”
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
