The $tadium Game: Inside the lucrative world of Colorado’s pro sports stadiums

In this four-part special report, The Denver Post investigates the state of professional sports stadiums in Denver and what could be coming next, from publicly funded facilities that set the trend (Coors Field) to those whose ambitions have yet to be realized (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park).

Four stadiums/arenas were built in the Denver metro area in a 14-year period straddling the turn of the century — an era that saw a nationwide stadium boom funded in part by taxpayer dollars. Roughly 30 years later, after a handful of venues across the country have been deemed obsolete, the Broncos find themselves approaching an inflection point with Empower Field’s lease set to expire in 2030.

What kind of impact could the team’s decision have on the community? Is another cycle of stadium building justified? And how has the paradigm of professional sports ownership and stadium construction evolved since Empower — then Invesco Field — first opened in 2001?

Read The Post’s $tadium Game series here:

Part 1: Amid another nationwide stadium boom, will Broncos build new home to land what Rockies have and what Nuggets, Avs are getting?

Our series opens with a look at the money side of sports stadiums. From a business perspective, the Rockies have something the Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche all envy — a destination stadium with an adjoining neighborhood that acts as another money stream.

Additional reading: If Broncos move from Empower Field, the impact on Sun Valley and surrounding neighborhoods could be positive

Sun Valley, the neighborhood in which Empower Field sits, has been the Broncos’ home since 1960. But if a Broncos move happens, neighborhood leaders’ goal is to more seamlessly connect Sun Valley with the changes across the highway in River Mile (the planned redevelopment of Elitch Gardens) and the 55-acre Ball Arena redevelopment.

Part 2: Is Coors Field the model for publicly financed stadium success? How the Monforts struck gold in LoDo.

The second installment dives into Coors Field, the home of the Rockies and a publicly funded stadium that became a gold mine for one of the state’s most famous families. The 30-year-old ballpark at 20th and Blake and its historic neighborhood combined to create a lucrative setting that any sports owner would covet.

Additional reading: Coors Field renovations, repairs and upgrades

Coors Field opened in 1995 and is the third-oldest ballpark in the National League behind Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914) and Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium (1962). Here is a look at renovations and improvements over the ballpark’s first 30 years.

Part 3: Ball Arena was always a window into downtown Denver land development for Stan Kroenke

Twenty-four years after Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena) was built, Denver City Council approved a massive development plan on top of those parking lots that will be carried out by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the teams’ parent company — jump-starting the execution of what one high-ranking KSE executive described to The Denver Post as a long-term plan Kroenke envisioned when he bought the two sports franchises.

Additional reading:  Nearly 18 years after Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was built, it still hasn’t done for Commerce City what Coors Field did for LoDo

When Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the $71 million home of the Rapids, opened in 2007, there were high hopes in Commerce City that it would become a destination for more people than just soccer fans. They’re still waiting. And wondering.

Part 4: The factors that will drive the what, where and when of Broncos’ stadium decision

The final installment examines the question of whether the Broncos remain at Mile High beyond the next few years remains an open one. The franchise is moving steadily toward an inflection point — the end of its lease with the Metropolitan Stadium Football District, which runs through 2030 — and the decision about whether to stay and renovate, stay and rebuild or move elsewhere in the Denver area is one that takes years to unravel.

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