Located a mile above sea level, Denver, Colorado, is a spectacularly rare city. Situated at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, Denver is often described as urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure. Check out a few pictures of the cityscape, and you’ll realize that it’s one of few places in the nation where a gaggle of skyscrapers is surrounded by vast wilderness and a mountainous backdrop. Flanked by the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, the Mile-High City is a bit of everything. Explore unique neighborhoods, wander the art district, and sample beer flights at one of many brewery tours. Hike through Rocky Mountain National Park, river raft down Clear Creek, ski down powdery mountains, or tee off at one of a dozen pristine golf courses. And that’s just the start. With so much else to do, you’d be surprised how deep the love of Denver sports goes.
Denver is one of the largest cities in America—top 25 as of the 2013 census. And it has all the offerings of a major city: culture, food, nightlife, family fun, and outdoor activities. Oh yeah, and sports! Denver is a sports fan’s dream. With The Denver Post and countless Denver-focused sports blogs, the city’s five major professional leagues are well-covered and oft-discussed. The Broncos won two Super Bowls behind strong-armed, square-jawed Hall of Famer John Elway, and with Peyton Manning behind center, the team is again competing for rings each winter. The Rockies organization isn’t exactly the gold standard for a professional baseball team, but one NL pennant in twenty years is more than some teams—ahem, heard of the Cubs?—can brag about. And Coors Field is a magnificent ballpark, just one reason why the Rockies were top 10 in attendance last season. The Nuggets haven’t been the same since Melo left for Madison Square Garden, but there is still hope for the guys playing in Pepsi Center. There is prime talent—Ty Lawson, JaVale McGee, Kenneth Faried, Timofey Mozgov, Arron Afflalo—across the floor and an up-and-coming head coach in Brian Shaw on the bench. The Avalanche hockey team moved from Quebec in 1995 and has gone on to win 9 division championships and 2 Stanley Cup trophies. The hockey fan base in Denver is rabid; the franchise holds the all-time NHL record for longest consecutive attendance sellouts at home. Not to be forgotten are the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team. The team won an MLS Cup in 2010 and is a charter franchise of the fast-growing professional soccer league. Denver is more than just a sports town. It can still be classified as a sports town. Fans love the teams, fly the flags, wear the jerseys and cheer hard in stadiums, bars, and homes on game days.
Denver’s economy has thrived in recent years, and all signs point to continued growth. The city’s unemployment rate has gone from 7.6% in December 2012 to roughly 4.2% in September 2014, nearly two points below the national average. And Forbes ranked Denver as one of the best cities in America to launch a startup business, especially in “high-growth industries–specifically real estate, computer systems design and related services, support activities for mining and personal and household goods repair and maintenance.” Along with an active small business market, major corporations like Lockheed-Martin, United Airlines, and Xcel Energy have a major area presence creating jobs and developing a more educated, better-paid workforce. You can include the sports industry in the Denver job boom discussion.
Major sports industry companies—like Outdoor Channel, the Denver Broncos, Vail Resorts, and Pepsi Center—are hiring Denver professionals with a wide variety of talents. Art directors and studio artists use creativity and tools like CS5 Suite and Google Sketch to build brands and sell ideas. Local ski resorts need legal counsel, accounting managers, financial analysts, real estate professionals, and IT analysts to keep profits high and skiers and snowboarders happy. And the Denver area stadiums are hiring sales representatives, event coordinators, concession managers, and account executives to keep seats filled and beer glasses and fans’ stomachs full. The list of Denver sports jobs goes on and on. Over 650,000 residents call the western gem of Denver home. Perhaps it’s time you check it out too!
