They call it the Rocky Mountain Thunder. The stadium-shuddering racket reverberated by Denver Broncos fans stomping their feet on the metal decks of their old Mile High Stadium.
It would become a storied intimidation tactic that has since translated across to their current home Empower Field, but perhaps too an unwritten cheat code to thousands ‘getting their steps in’, given all I would come to learn of this fitness-enthused Mountain West metropolis.
Here was your proverbial protein shake of Colorado goodness, unbridled escapism and blood-pumping self-care flexing in the clouds some 5,280ft above sea level, as if detached from the rest of the nation. They breathe a little differently here, operate a little differently, attack sport a little differently.
The city is serene and soothing in accordance with its neighbouring nature, and yet its sporting disciples deafening. From its mountainous backdrop to its rich variety of wildlife, Denver is a laptop screensaver picture of tranquillity. From its sunrise joggers to its rock-scaling climbers, it is a breeding ground for adrenaline and activity. And between its seven major league sports teams, it is a cauldron of intense, ever-expanding fandom.
Welcome to Mile High, where an early awakening at the Limelight hotel (fuelled by some jet-lag) would kickstart my stay with a stunning sunrise view over Union Station, around which bustled coffee-grabbers, job-goers and worm-catching early birds.
I had flown in directly from London Heathrow for a dose of Denver life, another West Brom-come-Broncos fan I met that weekend had made the trip from Birmingham, and each week Sean Payton’s side receive support from neighbouring states in New Mexico, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Such is their isolated geographical position in the metaphorical ‘Gods’ of America, the Broncos reign supreme as a prized NFL attraction.
Saturday. My choice of cargo trousers in bronzeable heat had already come back to haunt me in a land where shorts and t-shirt tend to top the attire. Denver’s 300-days of sunshine each year lend themselves to a city driven by life outside and an accompanying will to explore. This Brit stuck out, a reality only amplified by the perplexed look upon learning bars and clubs close earlier here in order to avoid squandering mornings better dedicated to fitness and training; party early, workout early. And for what it is worth, the motivation and zest to stay on the move becomes infectious.
By night, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is known as Denver’s unique home of world-class music acts, where Lily Allen had been headlining on her album tour at the time of my visit. By morning, it appears to adopt the appearance of an outdoor gym, with its multiple tiers of theatre steps occupying yoga classes and workouts for families and friends of all ages.
One man is shadow boxing back-and-forth in a mask reminiscent of Batman villain Bane, a father and his four children are tackling the steep incline in unison from bottom to top and one elderly gentleman is performing kettle bell swings at the awe of younger workout partners. It is enough to guilt-trip this sluggish journalist after an evening of down-time watching the Colorado Rockies baseball team and exploring Denver’s world class breweries; Ratio Beerworks, for curious travellers, and Whiskey Bar, where I witnessed the most competitive round robin of snooker games – they take sport and winning seriously here, no matter the game or level.
Sky Sports were invited to watch the Colorado Rockies in their loss to the Seattle Mariners
The Rockies these days are a little less associated with success in comparison to tavern snooker and their Broncos brothers, having reached the playoffs just five times since 1993. Still, they retain a devoted fanbase that preserve baseball’s unique pass-time entertainment. On this occasion families were invited to a fireworks show, dare I say to compensate for the lack of Rockies fireworks on the field. And yet their supporters keep coming back.
The Broncos, as mentioned before, top the sporting charts in Denver as three-time Super Bowl champions and one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. The team boasts the longest active sell-out streak for an NFL franchise that has remained in one city, dating back to 1970, contributing to a 20-year wait-list for season tickets.
Denver initially played their football in Mile High Stadium from 1960 to 2000, before moving into Empower Field at Mile High in 2001. The organisation is now targeting the 2031 NFL season as a completion date for their new retractable roof stadium, which would account for the Colorado elements as well as offering year-round use of the facility for events beyond football. Recent history points towards an increased chance of hosting the Super Bowl for stadiums that have a roof or can be covered.
The Broncos are the only team in the NFL to announce the number of ‘no-shows’ on the big screen during each home game, prompting boos from fans in attendance towards those who didn’t make the journey.
Right on cue, the jeers arrived late in their Week Two victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, where I was among 76,472 fans basking in Colorado sunshine to soak up a day that began with the Broncos’ traditional pre-game skydiving Thunderstorm show and ended in a first win of the season for Bo Nix’s side.
It is raucous, rattling noise from start to finish, underlining one of the most renowned fan bases in football. Oh, and boy do they hate the Kansas City Chiefs, whose travelling fans shall be alerted to that fact – if not already aware – when they head to Mile High this weekend, live on Sky Sports NFL.
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
They cut the figure of overlords, empowered by their respiratory nuances high in the sky, reminding teams of where they are with an unmissable sign reading: “ELEV 5280′ Altitude Sickness is Real” as opposition players walk into the stadium.
It creates an ‘us versus them’ unity among Broncos fans, and yet it remains a city warm and welcoming to its visitors; I met one Cowboy hat-wearing local fascinated by a British accent, so too a stadium worker who had a friend living in Clapham – because OF COURSE. It’s always Clapham.
Empower Field has also served as host for events ranging from Barack Obama’s Democratic presidential nomination acceptance in 2008 to Taylor Swift concerts. In March 2026 it also made history by setting a new National Women’s Soccer League attendance record when 63,004 fans watched the Denver Summit expansion team play the Washington Spirit, surpassing the previous benchmark of 40,091 set by Bay FC at Oracle Park.
Denver natives do not mess around when it comes to sport. If there is a team, a game, an individual for whom to root – they are there. There are enough of them; just three years ago the Nuggets won the NBA Finals, and four years ago the Colorado Avalanche won NHL’s Stanley Cup.
The Summit are something of Denver’s newest, thriving hope having been accepted as an NWSL expansion team in January 2025, with legendary Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning part of their ownership group. Six Summit players were recently called up to represent the US Women’s National Team during the October international break. That included midfielder Lindsey Heaps, who has won a World Cup, two Olympic medals and captained her side at the 2023 World Cup across more than 170 caps for the national team.
I attended Summit’s 2-1 win over Seattle Reign, where a sold-out crowd of 12,272 watched on despite an hour-long rain delay. Chants of ‘you can’t do that’ at the sight of a foul was a unique Americanism contrary to the more profane tirades customary to European football, but it proved yet another crowd reflective of Denver’s deep-rooted sporting devotion.
Beyond its sport it is a city embodied by its gateway to the natural world.
Dedicated Broncos fans might know ‘Frank the Tank’ as being the childhood nickname for offensive tackle Frank Crum, while others may know it to be the legendary moose bull of Rocky Mountain National Park. Sadly (or perhaps fortunately), a day trip into the mountains did not lead me to Frank.
What it did lead me to was the otherworldly sights of Mount Blue Sky, where never-ending greenery, the whisper-inciting Echo Lake, Idaho Springs and scenic road loops along which Walter Mitty might skateboard delivered lifelong images for the mental archives. So too a buoyant tour guide who would inform us of his potential Big Foot encounter while camping in the surrounding forest area; I saw his photos, and the foot-prints are almost believable enough to sway the most stubborn of naysayer.
Anyway, it is a perfect calming complement to the city’s Broncos mania, where ziplining and whitewater rafting still preserves Denver’s commitment to sporting adrenaline. The views are truly something else.
It is as versatile a sporting city as you might find in the United States, my deepest regret being my inability to ski such is the access to some of the world’s greatest slopes.
Denver’s RiNo district plays host to trendy shops, phenomenal street murals and the multiple cuisines of Denver Central Market. It is a community that offers a reminder to Denver’s diversity, with Hispanic and Latino residents making up roughly 34 per cent of the city’s population – and no doubt contributing to my faultless gameday chilaquiles at The Bindery.
Shopping in Cherry Creek, the Denver Art Museum, the city’s eight Michelin-starred restaurants and easy access to the Rocky Mountains occupy some days, while sport on tap awaits on every other.
Bring your shorts, and a Broncos jersey.
For more information, visit visitdenver.com.
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