Until this year, weddings and the birth of a grandchild were about the only obligations that pulled Broncos season ticketholder Ken Robinette from his seats at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.
This year, though, the price of gasoline has the North Little Rock, Ark., businessman hedging that he’ll make more that just a few of the team’s home games.
After driving more than a quarter of a million miles getting to his seats since 1991, the cost of fuel may finally trump the orange and blue for the 61-year-old.
“It’s going to be hard, for sure,” the construction company owner said. “If I drive my pickup, it will still be $500 for a round trip. That used to cover the whole cost of the weekend. Now, it’s a lot more expensive.”
He’s not alone. With gasoline prices topping $4 a gallon in some parts of the country — it’s below that in many others — many fans are finding it difficult to continue weekend journeys to see their favorite teams, according to some news reports.
Though Denver and a few other National Football League squads have consecutive-game sellout streaks that run into the decades — Denver’s sits at 239 games and today’s sold-out home opener clicks it up by one — fans say it’s harder to keep up. Even tailgate parties are trimming down as gas-guzzling recreational vehicles aren’t left idling.
NFL officials concede hard economic times have affected fan bases, but not enough to merit talk that the sellout streaks might end.
And a long waiting list for season tickets for most NFL teams — the Broncos’ is more than 28,000 names long and good for at least a decade wait, team officials said — helps backfill any unsold seats.
“It’s astonishing, but the economy isn’t that worrisome right now,” said Kirk Dyer, the Broncos director of ticket operations. “The mania for tickets is incredible, especially in a market where there are so many other options to see games. The drive to physically be there hasn’t been greater.”
Robinette’s still got the drive after all these years; he’s just not willing to make the drive as frequently.
The 1,000-mile one-way schlep has been a mainstay of the Robinettes’ football season since they nailed down their season tickets after a 12-year wait. What were once four tickets are now two; what were “nose-bleed” seats are now the 15th row in the southwest field-level section.
Even college football fans are trimming the fat but not from their stadium excursions. On a big weekend of college football last week, The Associated Press found fans from the parking lots of Happy Valley, Pa., to Eugene, Ore., who said they were making concessions, yet were determined to indulge their passion.
Some said they’re cramming into vans and leaving RVs at home; others bypass expensive hotels and roll into budget motels.
The NFL isn’t slowing much, either. Parking slots sold especially for RV tailgaters have seen no let-up in demand, Broncos officials said.
The Broncos say that while some fans fly farther to get to games here, none drive farther than the Robinettes. There is no mistaking Ken and wife, Annette, as anything but a die-hard fans, bedecked in Broncos team colors and gear weekly. They’ll be there today too — “I won’t miss opening day!” he said.
And the drive is a small price to pay for being at a game in person — even if it means driving through Kansas to avoid a blizzard.
Higher gas prices simply mean he’ll have to forgo a game or two more than usual. He’ll sell the tickets through the Broncos ticket exchange, which is run by Ticketmaster.
While missing games will be painful, it merely means fewer opportunities to repeat the couple’s worst trip:
“I left my bride behind at a rest stop once,” he said, with some embarrassment in his voice. “Took me 2 1/2 hours to realize she wasn’t in the van with me.”
It got worse: Robinette couldn’t remember which rest stop it was.
“We do a head count now before driving off,” he mused.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
