Sports & Recreation in Denver
Denver is the smallest media market in the country with a team in all four major men's professional sports leagues, its ballpark keeps baseballs in a walk-in humidor because of the altitude, and its annual stock show is one of the largest of its kind on Earth.
Denver's Major League Teams
With the Broncos (NFL), Nuggets (NBA), Rockies (MLB), and Avalanche (NHL) — plus the Rapids (MLS) and two women's professional teams — Denver is the smallest media market in the country to field a team in all four traditional major men's sports leagues, a distinction only a handful of U.S. cities can claim.
Coors Field
At just over a mile above sea level, Coors Field is the highest ballpark in Major League Baseball, where thin, dry air lets fly balls travel noticeably farther than at sea level. Since 2002, the Rockies have stored every game ball in a climate-controlled humidor kept at 70°F and roughly 50% humidity — the practice that turned Coors Field into MLB's model for altitude-adjusted ball storage.
National Western Stock Show
Held every January since 1906, the National Western Stock Show draws more than 700,000 visitors to Denver for what it bills as the largest Western trade show in the country, with horse shows among the largest in the world — more than 18,000 entries in a single recent year.