FanPost

My Broncos tale


Born in El Paso in '78. My parents are amazing wonderful people who simply didn't do sports. Like at all. In fact my Lebanese-born dad's first ever baseball game was my little league at age 8. Also at age 8 or 9, I got a tv in my room. I instantly started watching football on Sundays in my room, solo. The Broncos, Raiders, Rams (both in LA), and of course the Cowboys and Oilers were usually playing in west Texas on tv. The Cowboys had a following but they weren't particularly good in the late 80's. One Sunday, John Elway kicked some ass and it got me excited. Then the next Sunday he did it again. and then again the next time the played on my tv, two weeks later I think, he hooked me. The team was fun to watch and I was all in. Nobody told me to be a Broncos fan. Nobody told me to be a sports fan. My Grandfather (Mom's dad), when asked "who do we root for Grandpa?", would lovingly respond in a very non-chalant manner: "just a good game, M'ijo... unless the Cowboys are on" with a smile. I stayed a Broncos fan and rooted for them when I wasn't watching with Grandpa, and even quietly when I was. He could tell, and didn't mind, which was cool I thought. Kids (mostly cholos) at school would tease me : "El-WAY! El-WAY He runs like a girl, pinche El-way" They mostly had Raiders stuff on.. But then something crazy happened in '92. The Cowboys got really good. That Xmas, I remember it well, the Raiders jackets and the Rams jackets and even some of the few Oilers jackets around town and around school disappeared in large numbers and were magically replaced by blue jackets with a silver star. It was so weird to watch all these people simply jump ship and just like that the Cowboys were IT. I never flinched. I never wavered. They kept talkin' shit, but they were covered in Jerry Jones's stank now, so I had some ammo to fire back cause they were pathetic bandwagoners. I never liked the Cowboys, but back then I despised them. I would hope the Bills or the Niners or anybody would beat them in the playoffs/SB, since the Broncos had fallen short year after year. The Jax playoff loss was extremely painful, as those of us who remember it would all agree.. and then finally in '97... EUREKA!

I bleed Orange and Blue, and my love of Elway became a lifelong love for the team from the mountains up north of me. I will always love the Denver Broncos, and I really appreciate the opportunity to share my story! Thanks for letting all of our different stories come together here during the offseason lull while we wait for the next chapter, and another world title in February!

I now live in San Diego and have been a good-spirited and diehard fan in the trenches of the AFC West for a decade.. at least until Spanos pulled his team up outta here. Fans here are pissed and jaded, and it is a powerful reminder to not take the Broncos leadership for granted.

Go Broncos

Robert Hanash, Bronco fan for life

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