The team or the players?

For me it’s a matter of personality. I am Broncos fan because I was kid I saw Elway play up close and personal and fell in love with him. I grew up in Connecticut so being a Denver fan was rare and I was often bashed, which only reinforced the love for my team, not theirs. Certain players I will always root for just because they are good people. For example, I am a fan of Warrick Dunn, John Lynch, Tony Dungy, Derrick Brooks, Drew Brees, Edge James because they are good people, they give back and do what’s right. If you couple a good person with my favorite team, Champ, Eddie, DJ, Elvis, D. Foxworth, then I am fan for life…regardless of where they play afterwards or before. If they were a Denver Bronco, I will always be interested.

Into my adult years I came to realize that the Broncos were a first class organization that was easy to root for. They weed out bad seeds and don’t stand for nonsense. They have always had a winning attitude and strive for excellence in everything they do. Pat Bowlen is a great owner who is passionnate in his teams success and we have grown into a winning franchise…What’s not to love about the Denver Broncos!?!?!

it started with Elway. My parents were big Bronco fans growing up and they were the team I watched every Sunday growing up, as I got older the team got better, much to my chagrine as I got to settle some old scores with some friends. Watching Elway helicopter in the Super Bowl made me a fan for life and seeing what being a Bronco means compared to what other teams are like only makes it sweeter.

However I have a select few players I like to root for as long as they are not playing Denver. Most the time it’s guys I enjoyed watching out of college and continue to watch them flourish, ala Calvin Johnson aka Megatron.

Being born in Colorado and having all my family from there, Broncos were the team, they were the representation of Colorado, of Denver, they were and are the heart and soul of the state. If you love Colorado, generally you will love the Broncos.

I was BroncosEagleColorado. I was 7 when they played the Cowboys in the SB. First game I can ever remember watching was the Broncos Raiders AFC Championship that year. I suppose had to take the home team over the flashy one. The next year we moved to Montana. But when Elway came along, one deep bomb for a TD was enough to hook this kid for life. Watched The Drive and The Drive II and it was over for me. : ) The first three Elway SBs were a nightmare and hard to live down, as it always seemed like everyone I knew was constantly rooting against him. And to be honest, when Pat fired Reeves and hired Phillips, I started questioning my own heart — like a bad relationship — is this really worth all the PAIN!??! I tuned out for a few years, and then, suddenly, people started talking about some guy named Terrell Davis. I tuned in, and could not believe my eyes. The guy was consistently gaining 5, 6, 8, 10 yards per carry. And breaking BIG ONES. Defenses were panicking when he got the ball! And this amazing new coach who was helping Elway be Elway again. I dived back in, suffered through the Jax debacle, but was so excited for the next year, and through it all — the revenge tour, the win against Favre, 13 straight wins the following year and another Superbowl — I realized how much I love this game to the depths of my miserable being. The Broncos (players and team) gave me that passion. And since many of my favorite players have retired as Broncos, I really never had a reason to root for anyone else. Oh sure, I’m very interested in Kubes, and I still follow Mr. Portis a bit as I did Mr. Sharpe when we loaned him to B-more for a few years, and I will definitely follow and root for the Mastermind when he resurfaces somewhere. But to me, it’s like a chemical reaction took place that defined my fandom — I had to have the right mix of players, familiarity (coming from Colorado), and an owner like Pat Bowlen. That has made me appreciate the game and the players, but as a Bronco fan first and always.

Being an A’s fan also I can’t really get connected to players because they are gone in a couple years (Giambi swisher zito harden Damon Harren)

My first ever memories was the 1977 AFC title game against the faders. I still to this day remember a gimpy Morton nailing a 74 yrad TD pass on Denvers 3rd offensive play. I was hooked. I remember the SouthStanders passing the goal posts up after that win. I have been a Bronco fan always. I love the players, but I root for whats on the front of the jersey and not the back. If a player leaves for another team I will be ok, unless they go to the faders then they are dead to me. All I know is when I was in Japan while in the USN I was consistently the only Bronco fan. I suffered thru 3 SB losses over there and was the only Bronco fan. Not until SB 32 did Bronco fans on my ships come out of the woodwork, not this guy. I have been a LOUD and PROUD Broncomaniac as long as I can remember. I am even more vocal today than in the past because I have to deal with arrogant no nothing “charger fan” here in SD. I am glad the Broncos have an owner like Pat Bowlen and not like Spanos or anyone else

In 1981 I moved into my brothers apartment to be closer to my first job and every Tuesday night he stayed up late to watch the NFL (in Australia in 1981 gridiron was only shown on Tuesday nights at about 11pm and was usually 1 game cut short and a recap of the rest of the games). The first Tuesday I was there I stayed up as well and my brother asked me who I was going to follow, well the Bronco’s were playing the Bill’s and I liked John Denver so I picked the Bronco’s and my brother took the Bill’s and we have both followed those teams ever since. In 1996 I got the internet and that opened up a whole new world for me in that I joined the Broncos discussion group and had my first in depth look at the team that I had followed for the previous 15 years. And for me it is always the team, players come and go but the team remains (although like most fans, I like to keep track of guys that have played for the Bronco’s) even to the point that in pick ‘em competitions I will never pick against the Bronco’s. Just as an aside one of my favorite players of all time is Sammy Winder from the ’80’s.

Vikings in the N. Bears in the E. Chiefs in the S. or Green bay or the Rams. But really no Broncos fans. We started going to Colorado for winter vacations in keystone when I could barely walk. When I was about 5 I got a broncos T-shirt, about the same time I fell in love with football. Then a Mr. John Elway came along. How sweet it was. I’ve never looked back. It was lonely being a Bronco fan in Iowa and as I traveled around the rest of the country until I found MHR. This summer I bought land in Colorado so I can eventually retire closer to Mecca (Mile High).

I get that question all the time. I was born and raised and live in Richmond, Va. This is mostly Redskins country with the proverbial Cowboys and Steelers fans mixed in. So when I meet someone and they find out I’m a Broncos fan, I always get the “How in the world did you become a Broncos fan? Were you born in Colorado”? My answer is always the same. “I was just fortunate enough to be born that way. Cut me and I’ll bleed Broncos Orange”. Honestly I don’t know how it came to be, but I think it was the 1978 Superbowl when Denver and Dallas played. I was 9 years old and just getting in to football. Who knows. I think I remember liking the colors, the fans, and the underdog. Then Denver hired Dan Reeves and I really liked him. Then Denver gets John Elway and it was done. I was a fan for life. How is that for an answer to your question. I was pretty much a fan because of the coach AND the player.