What even is a Colorado Rockies fan anymore?
In the early days of the franchise, Rockies fans were the ones responsible for bringing the franchise to Denver in the first place.
They approved the taxes to build the ballpark and then they filled that ballpark for nearly every ballgame. They pioneered the foundational iconography. They were the first to sit in the Rockpile, to dub them The Blake Street Bombers, and to experience the postseason.
But after the honeymoon period, things changed.
It would be difficult to pinpoint the exact moment but sometime around the introduction of the humidor in 2002, the shine had largely come off, the fan favorites were largely gone, and the crowds began to thin.
As the first era of Rockies baseball melted away, there was a brief sunrise in 2007 and a new generation of fans was born.
What came to be known as the Cargo and Tulo era brought a unique feel to the franchise. Much like in the Bomber days, the team was defined by its superstars but also ultimately a lack of success peppered with missed opportunities.
It was during this time that the front office’s penchant for mismanagement rose as a prominent talking point. How could a team with two perennial MVP candidates (despite their injuries) put up so many completely lost seasons? Simply put; by not building well around them at all.
Dick Monfort became the face of the ownership group during this time and would develop a reputation for being cheap. Despite payrolls typically sitting right in the middle of the pack, commensurate with Denver’s market, the feeling persisted that he simply wasn’t willing to do what it took to put the team over the top.
After spinning their wheels for nearly a decade, Tulo was traded, inspiring much ire, especially from younger fans who came to love the team largely because of the incredibly talented shortstop.
That might’ve ushered in a wave of apathy if not for the fact that they were able to make back-to-back postseasons just two years later. Maybe this time would be different. Though, some things were the same. Once again, it was a group of super-position players who arrived on the scene and started winning awards. This time, it was Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, and Trevor Story making All-Star games and making Coors Field baseball can’t-miss viewing.
One difference is that for this group there were also pitchers who would rise to the top of the team charts. Hometown hero Kyle Freeland and strikeouts artists Jon Gray and German Marquez gave fans hope that there was finally a solid foundation for consistent success brewing at 20th and Blake.
You know the next part.
Like a broken record, only a fraction of the potential was realized. The core fell apart, piece by piece, and an extremely unpopular GM traded one of the most popular players in Rockies history in Nolan Arenado. That, for many, was the end. For others, it was the beginning of the end.
Unlike with the trades of Troy Tulowitzki or even Larry Walker back in the day, the Colorado baseball club would not rally around a new group of exciting young players. At least, not yet.
With Arenado, Story, Gray – and let’s not forget DJ LeMahieu – gone for peanuts, and Marquez spending most of the last few years on the shelf with injury, a team that had never lost 100 games has done so in consecutive seasons. Which leaves us back where we started. What even is a Colorado Rockies fan anymore? Apart from a baseball fan that has a closet full of jerseys of players who play for other teams?
As has been stated many times, it is worse to have an apathetic fanbase than to have an irate fanbase and that is precisely where the Rockies stand. After years, decades really, of unfulfilled promises, suddenly it feels as though there is nothing tangible to hold onto. The signing of Kris Bryant was supposed to alleviate some of the pain of the losses of star players but his health and lack of production have somehow managed to make it all even worse.
Nolan Jones looked like he might be The Next Big Thing but his sophomore season was lost to injury and slumps. Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle are masterful defenders but still to this point a far cry from the kind of 30+ homer, 100+ RBI guys that used to dot the lineups of even bad Rockies teams. Oh, and the pitching is in absolute tatters.
Additionally, every offseason or trade deadline feels inevitable to end in one gigantic “meh” each time they roll around. Those who have stuck around in hopes that it will all get better find themselves frantically searching for signs that the team is even trying to get better.
There will always be hardcore diehards. The season ticket holders since ‘93. The early-buyers of FanFest tickets. The people who, no matter how bad it gets, will cheer on their team because to them, that’s what fandom is. Many of us were raised this way. We were taught that abandoning your club when the times are tough is for the weak. We called them “fairweather fans” and it was among the worst insults that could be levied at a sports lover.
But we now live in an age where continuing to “root, root, root” for the home team after years of ineptitude is seen as a failing. “You are the problem! You are the reason this team sucks,” they say of the diehards now.
And in this neck of the woods, it seems like nobody wants to be labeled a defender or supporter of what is happening with the ballteam. Or not happening, as it were.
Much like the Rockies themselves, the fans appear to have lost most of their definition. Outside of fighting with each other on social media and ill-concieved “boycotts” that don’t extend much beyond simply not going to quite as many games as before, there’s very little to rally around these days.
The fire has gone out. But there remains an ember.
One thing we learned from the magical run of “Rocktober” or the way the house was packed with good vibes and teary eyes for the retirement of Charlie Blackmon, it’s that this town, and these people, are ready to love baseball again at a moment’s notice.
The Rockies have lost a lot of fans over the last four years. And even worse, they’ve crushed the passions of those who still have the guts to proudly wear the team’s colors. Yes, there will always be those who never leave but some who left are never coming back.
Burned bridges are difficult to rebuild so when it comes to the Colorado Rockies and their fans, they’re going to have to make some new ones.
