Denver Broncos: A lifer’s perspective on the Super Bowl
By Adam Malnati
The build up to Super Bowl 50 has not been easy for this lifelong Denver Broncos fan.
The Denver Broncos trip to Super Bowl 50 has created some problems for me. I have a huge block, where I can’t think of anything to say, which is difficult for me to admit. If you knew me, you would know that I always have something to say. I am not claiming to always have the smartest thing in the world at the tip of my tongue, but I am rarely speechless.
It could be the bad taste in my mouth from the fiasco that occurred against the Seattle Seahawks just a couple of years ago. Maybe being a lifelong Denver Broncos fan has created an a feeling of trepidation on the cusp of greatness. I do not know what causes this, but I freeze during conversations, and every time I try to write a new article I can not make it past paragraph one.
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So, this is my therapy piece. Maybe if I talk about it others will come forward and share their experience with “Greatness Anxiety.” I know there will be the trolls in the comments section of this piece. I can already read the mocking, and I am unconcerned. I am also predicting the obligatory “not a true fan” comment that will undoubtedly be found at the end of this. But in this moment, I am reminded of John Elway’s mom.
John (that’s what we call him at my house) has always been a huge part of my life. We have lived and died with him through his career, and watching his career was one of the best things I can claim to have been a part of as a fan. He was the greatest to play the game, but that was not without its problems. There was nothing scarier for a Denver Bronco fan than a trip to the Super Bowl.
Maybe if I talk about it others will come forward and share their experience with “Greatness Anxiety.”
By the time his career was almost over, we could only hope for one last chance, and after the heartbreak of 1996 it looked like the window was closing. Then, the glorious return in 1997 was less than glorious. When Denver was able to run through one of the most difficult roads to the Super Bowl in history, it was Mrs. Elway who summed up the feelings of many fans.
“Do we have to go back to the Super Bowl?” Her question resonates with Broncos Country. Obviously, it was not an option to just pack up and go home, and the victory over Green Bay came in one of the most thrilling games in Super Bowls in history. It was the old gunslinger looking for one more chance versus the young champion returning for another shot at the title.
In the end it was Elway’s Broncos who came away with the victory, and that feeling of “Greatness Anxiety” disappeared. 1998 was the easiest season of football to watch. There was no chance that any team could stop the Broncos from winning another title. I was cured. John’s mom was happy to return to the Super Bowl, and so was I.
Now, that old feeling has crept in. I believe in my team, and love that the number one defense will be on our side of the ball. Sunday can’t get here fast enough.
Next: Super Bowl: How can the Broncos beat Cam Newton?
