Denver: a sports city 5,280ft up, where Broncos fans treat their stadium as a fortress
A Sky Sports reporter has described the sporting culture of Denver, a US city home to seven major league teams. The focus is on the NFL's Denver Broncos and their fans' atmosphere.
A Sky Sports journalist has written up a visit to Denver, the capital of Colorado in the United States, a city around 5,280ft (roughly 1,609 metres) above sea level where sport and an active lifestyle are part of daily routine. Seven major league teams are based there, the most prominent being the Denver Broncos of the NFL (National Football League, the top professional American football league).
The Broncos and their fans
The Broncos are three-time Super Bowl champions. They hold the longest active sell-out streak among NFL franchises that have stayed in one city, dating back to 1970, and season tickets carry a wait-list of about 20 years. The team played at Mile High Stadium from 1960 to 2000 and has used Empower Field at Mile High since 2001. The club is targeting the 2031 NFL season to finish a new stadium with a retractable roof.
The Broncos are the only NFL team to display the number of no-shows on the big screen at every home game, with fans booing in response. The reporter attended the Week Two game, in which Denver beat the Jacksonville Jaguars for their first win of the season, in front of 76,472 spectators. A sign greets visiting players about altitude sickness being real. The Kansas City Chiefs visit Denver this weekend in a game live on Sky Sports NFL.
Other teams
The city is also home to the NBA's Nuggets, who won the Finals three years ago, and the NHL's Avalanche, who won the Stanley Cup four years ago. The Colorado Rockies baseball team have reached the playoffs five times since 1993. The Denver Summit, an expansion team in the NWSL (the US women's professional soccer league), set a league attendance record of 63,004 at Empower Field in March 2026, beating the previous mark of 40,091. Midfielder Lindsey Heaps plays for the club.
Beyond sport
The journalist also visited the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which hosts morning workouts, and the area around Rocky Mountain National Park. Hispanic and Latino residents make up roughly 34 per cent of the city's population.
