On Friday Aug 18 the Denver Broncos took another step in their fight against the current pandemic. They told fans to relax in the comfort of their own homes for the week one home opener against Tennessee.
A statement by the team reads:
"Working in collaboration with the state and with safety as the top priority, we have made the decision that our home opener against Tennessee at Empower Field at Mile High will be played without fans," the team said in a statement. "We are grateful for the loyalty and enthusiasm that Broncos fans have shown this year—despite such challenging circumstances—but this is the responsible thing to do right now for our community.
"Our organization remains hopeful that we can host a limited number of fans on a gradually increasing basis beginning early this season. Taking a careful, measured approach with attendance will allow us to evaluate and adjust all COVID-19 safety enhancements before moving forward.
"We will continue to work closely and in collaboration with the state to determine the next steps, ensuring we are doing our part to protect the health of our fans and community."
This is a blow to the Denver Broncos as their fans are considered some of the loudest and most effective fans in the NFL.
With the announcement, it means the soonest that fans could attend a game at Empower Field at Mile high would be week three when the Broncos welcome in Tampa Bay and their new quarterback Tom Brady.
This season will see its fair share of ups and downs for fans of all sports. Chalk this up to another loss in the battle against coronavirus.
As a reminder, you can listen to all the Broncos games this season on our radio signal FM 98.1 and 1410 AM.