Sports in Denver

Denver is a vibrant city for sports fans, with many professional teams based there or in nearby areas. It is one of only twelve cities in the United States to have a team in each of the four major sports leagues. The Denver Broncos play football at Empower Field at Mile High, while the Colorado Avalanche (hockey) and Denver Nuggets (basketball) share Ball Arena. Baseball fans can cheer for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Although the Colorado Rapids, a Major League Soccer team, are part of the Denver area, they play in nearby Commerce City.

In addition to professional sports, Denver and its surrounding areas have many college teams. Two schools have NCAA Division I programs: the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder and the Denver Pioneers in Denver. Other college teams include the MSU Denver Roadrunners, Regis Rangers, Colorado Christian University, and the Colorado School of Mines, located in nearby suburbs. These teams bring lots of excitement to the community throughout the year.

Major league professional teams

Denver is one of only twelve U.S. cities to have teams in all four major sports leagues. The Denver Broncos of the National Football League have excited fans since the 1960s, playing at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos have won championships, including one in 2016.

The Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball began in 1993 and play at Coors Field. They reached the World Series in 2007. The Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association won their first NBA championship in 2023 and play at Ball Arena. The Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League joined Denver in 1995 and have won three Stanley Cups since then, also playing at Ball Arena. The Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and won the MLS Cup in 2010.

See also: Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada

Top tier amateur teams

Denver and the wider metro area is also home to other professional sports teams.

College sports teams

• Colorado Buffaloes: The CU Buffaloes are a member of the Big 12 Conference and are located in Boulder.
• Denver Pioneers: The DU Pioneers, located in the city of Denver, play in NCAA Division I and are a member of The Summit League through the 2025–26 school year, after which DU will join the West Coast Conference. In sports not sponsored by either conference, it is a member of several other conferences; most notably, the men's ice hockey team plays in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, the women's gymnastics team in the Big 12 Conference, and the men's and women's lacrosse teams in the Big East Conference.
• MSU Denver Roadrunners: The MSU Denver Roadrunners play in NCAA Division II and are a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and are located in Denver.
• Regis Rangers: The Regis Rangers play in NCAA Division II and are a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and are located in Denver.

Former teams

• Denver Bears (Western League) former Western League team (1885–1954); replaced by the new Denver Bears
• Denver Zephyrs originally, the Denver Bears, who played in the American Association (1955–1962, 1969–1992) and the Pacific Coast League (1963–1968) moved to New Orleans in 1992. Now play as the Wichita Wind Surge
• Denver Nuggets former National Basketball League & National Basketball Association team (1948–1950); folded as the Evansville Agogans
• Denver Spurs former World Hockey Association team (1975–76); folded as the Ottawa Civics
• Colorado Rockies former National Hockey League team (1976–1982); now play as the New Jersey Devils
• Denver Avalanche former Major Indoor Soccer League team (1980–1982); ceased operations
• Colorado Flames former Central Professional Hockey League team (1982–1984); league ceased operations
• Denver Gold former United States Football League team (1983–1985); ceased operations
• Denver Dynamite former Arena Football League team (1987, 1989–1991); ceased operations
• Denver Rangers former International Hockey League team (1988–1989); folded as the Phoenix Roadrunners
• Denver Grizzlies former International Hockey League team (1994–1995); relocated to Utah after one season. Now play in the American Hockey League as the Cleveland Monsters
• Colorado Crush former Arena Football League team (2003–2008); the AFL suspended operations indefinitely
• Denver Cutthroats former Central Hockey League team (2012–2014); league ceased operations
• Denver Stampede former PRO Rugby team (2016–2017); league ceased operations after one season
• Colorado Raptors former Major League Rugby team (2018–2020); withdrew from the league after three seasons of play
• Denver Dynamite (soccer) former PASL-Pro (2008–2010) & PASL-Premier (2011–2015) team; ceased operations
• Furniture Row Racing, former NASCAR team that fielded the #78 Chevrolet SS for Martin Truex Jr., was owned and sponsored by the U.S. furniture store chain Furniture Row as the only NASCAR team headquartered in Colorado until 2018.
• Denver Outlaws, former Major League Lacrosse team (2006–2020), ceased operations after the MLL–PLL merger

Event hosting

Denver has been a place for many exciting sports events over the years. The city held a yearly car race called the Grand Prix of Denver until 2008, and it still hosts the Colorado Colfax Marathon every year.

Denver has welcomed some big sports events too. It has hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the NHL All-Star Game, and several NBA All-Star Games. Although Denver was chosen to hold the 1976 Winter Olympics, the plans changed because of cost and environmental concerns. The city also thought about bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Other notable events in Denver include the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, the NCAA Final Four, the first two Ultimate Fighting Championship events, and the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament. Infinity Park in Glendale has become a home for international rugby matches, including the USA Women's Sevens tournament.

Detailed information by team

Current teams

College teams

Former teams