We all have our favorite everything. There is no genre or phylum where we do not play favorites. Much like politics, opinions will never be swayed by the argument, just the outcome.
Sports is no exception. You hear fans say things like, “I live, breathe and die for my team,” or my favorite, “From the womb to the tomb.”
For some, games become something akin to a Sunday church gathering. For them it is religion. Here where I live, Denver, is no exception. “Die hards!” all the way around, Right?
This Broncos-Raiders rivalry is only divisional in nature due to the lopsided win-loss column, where the Raiders hold a 60-49-2 advantage. But that is in the past, or so they say. A bygone, forgotten era that only lives on in the highlight reel for us Raiders fans to gaze at grainy footage from the glory days of yesteryear.
Many of the guard here in Denver are no different than me, hustling their passion and drive for their favorite team, fulfilling the dream of doing what you love and getting paid to do it.
That’s what makes America great. Our divisional differences no matter what they are about.
Many times we as fans can rally around sports and use it as a tool to craft and forge something away from the field that can impact lives of those less fortunate then most of us.
Guys like Andrew Young, aka “The Mad Fanatic,” or Mark Acasio aka “Gorilla Rolla.”

People like this have turned their passion for a game into a cause. Making others’ lives better through football games.
To this Colorado-born Raiders fan, and one of the loudest voices of the Raider nation, this is why I love sports.
The rivalry between these two teams is only bitter on the side. Those hated Raiders have been a thorn in the side of the Broncos since the early ’60s, dominating the AFC West for years. The scale has tipped over the last few decades with the Raiders organization seeing its darkest times since Al Davis took over. On the other side of the coin is what Pat Bowlen and The Bowlen Family has done since 1983 to turn the Broncos into one of the league’s elite organizations.
Other than the wins and losses, now these two illustrious organizations are on the same page. The 2015 Denver Broncos were a team of destiny. As Broncos Ring of Famer Haven Moses told me, “John Elway did what should have been done a long time ago, he put the emphasis back on Defense and resurrected the Orange Crush.”
Defense is what they say wins championships, but that is another argument for another day. This game on Sunday sets the tone for the rest of the AFC West for years to come. A Raiders QB making a strong case for an MVP against a championship defense that is stacked top to bottom.
This game has all the makings of the Battle of Thermopoly, with Derek Carr being Leonidis and Von Miller cast as Xerxes.
Reguardless of the outcome Sunday, we all will have a better appreciation of the lore that surround these two teams and the future battles that have yet to be fought.
