Why Does Denver have 5 major league sports teams?

[Casportsfan]

your question is definitely an interesting one, and I have often wondered the same thing myself. For instance, why Sacramento, a city with a metro population of 2.5 million, only have one professional sports team? And one we (I am a Sacramento resident) are struggling to keep, by the way. I think the answer lies in what some have already posted here.

The people in Sacramento respond sluggishly to any growth and will shoot down any potential bond to build a stadium if it includes any increases in sales tax, however small they may be. The entire economy here is built around state government, so there are no large corporations to sponsor a stadium. In short, you have an unenthusiatic, anti-growth populous living in an area driven by state government. Although I don't know much about Denver, it appears to be just the opposite.

There are plenty of tech companies and booming industry in Denver; you can tell this almost singularly by ilooking t's well developed downtown (although I happen to know it is true by research I have done). Corporate sponsorship is not a problem. Funding for stadiums is not a problem. I would be willing to bet the overall standard of living in Denver is fairly high, so any bond that would require minimal funding from the citizens is probably also not a problem.

The other factor you have to consider is Denvers reputation and it's proximity to other major Cities. Though I'm not sure, I believe Denver is the hub of the Mountain west, and like someone else posted here began as the largest city in the relative area. Denver has a lot of history associated with it, a beautiful skyline and backdrop with the Rocky Mountains, and has an established reputation throughout the country.

Why is this important? Because the city's that house pro teams are essentially representatives for each respective professional sports league. The NFL wouldn't expand and place a team in a dump, regardless of the population. It also wouldn't place a team in an area with a fragile economy, where any downturn could cause a team to collapse.

Lastly, you have to consider the competition. How many fans would be drawn away from the Bay area teams to watch a Sacramento team? Probably none outside of the local metro area. There aren't many Kings fans in SoCal, and likewise I think the same logic applies to Denver. Since they are the only game in town, they probably pull in revenue from several markets outside of the state through merchandising, TV contracts, etc. I mean, who are the Broncos really competing with in Utah or New Mexico?

I think all of these factors are important: The reputation of the city, relative demand in the area, support of the local fan base, and economy of the area.

[Katiana]

My DD and her friends go and sit in the "ROckpile" a lot, just for entertainment.

[Rockmysawks]

Because there is nothing else around for miles and miles. In other areas there is overlap. For instance in Cleveland we have the Cavs, Indians and Browns. If we want hockey we have the Red Wings, the Pengiuns and the Bluejackets. If we want MLS - we have the Crew. And so on. Within a 3 hour radius there is every sport imaginable. Denver seems isolated, yet it still has a population to support teams, unlike Des Moines or Lincoln or whatever else is out there. So basically, it has the market and there was a demand for it which wasn't being covered already by a nearby area. How many teams have been in Denver for a long time? I know the Rockies got started in 94 and the Avalanche were something similar.

[Katiana]

Broncos: 1960

Denver Broncos Team Page

Nuggest: 1974; from 1967 to 1974 they were the Denver Rockets in the American Basketball Association.

Denver Nuggets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Rockmysawks

Because there is nothing else around for miles and miles. In other areas there is overlap. For instance in Cleveland we have the Cavs, Indians and Browns. If we want hockey we have the Red Wings, the Pengiuns and the Bluejackets. If we want MLS - we have the Crew. And so on. Within a 3 hour radius there is every sport imaginable. Denver seems isolated, yet it still has a population to support teams, unlike Des Moines or Lincoln or whatever else is out there. So basically, it has the market and there was a demand for it which wasn't being covered already by a nearby area. How many teams have been in Denver for a long time? I know the Rockies got started in 94 and the Avalanche were something similar.

Exactly, the distance from Denver to other major cities is vast when compared to the Northeast Corridor. Back east, from DC to Baltimore to Philadelphia to New York to Boston you get SIX teams in MLB within a 400 mile trip on Amtrak. In Denver, you have to go 600 miles east just to get to to the one team Kansas City or 1000 to get to the two teams in Chicago.

Then, north and south of Denver, along the Front Range / I-25 corridor, from Canada to Mexico, there are NO teams in MLB except the Rockies. To the west, the nearest MLB team is Phoenix, 825 miles away, then no other teams until we hit the west coast, fully 1260 west of here in Oakland, CA. That being said, Denver probably is the most remote team in MLB and has a vast geographical area from which to draw.

Folks back east don't really understand the vastness of the west, they're used to "the corridor" or like in Ohio you can go a couple hundred miles and get teams in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

The vastness out here is as much a detriment as it is a blessing. Even though the area the Rockies have to draw from is huge, people aren't going to drive six hours to see a ball game, especially in this economy, thus getting fans into the seats isn't as easy. Denver metro area is 3M, while the New York City metro area is 18M and the 5-county Los Angeles metro area is also 18M people.

Still, Denver has all these teams since the city is the big dog in the Inter-Mountain West, and supports them well enough to keep them.

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

The vastness out here is as much a detriment as it is a blessing. Even though the area the Rockies have to draw from is huge, people aren't going to drive six hours to see a ball game, especially in this economy, thus getting fans into the seats isn't as easy. Denver metro area is 3M, while the New York City metro area is 18M and the 5-county Los Angeles metro area is also 18M people.

One more reason for sports fans to support this!:

Rocky Mountain Rail Authority

Still, Denver has all these teams since the city is the big dog in the Inter-Mountain West, and supports them well enough to keep them.

Meaning the simple answer to the question is, "Because Denver can."