Bronco Fandom Goes Beyond Colorado

As seen by the map pictured above, the Denver Broncos have one of the biggest fan bases in the NFL (perhaps in part due to their geographical location). Denver's fan base out-reaches America, however; as the NFL has grown in popularity throughout the world, so have the Broncos.

Down in South America, particularly Brazil, there are many Bronco fans. "In Brazil we have a lot of NFL fans, a lot of blogs and sites talking about NFL and the teams," said Everton Fernandes, a Brazilian Broncos fan who runs UmTorcedorDoBroncos, a blog which being translated means, "A Supporter of the Broncos".

Fernades has become a good friend of Broncos Zone and says he became a fan of the Broncos in 2008 when he lived in Colorado for about six months. While the NFL -- and even the Broncos -- are very popular, he says he couldn't find a Portuguese fan site, so he created one. The site has helped international Bronco fans stay updated on their favorite team, as has Broncos Zone.

This site has readers in over thirteen countries (Brazil among them) and our facebook page has fans from nearly twenty different countries (with Brazil also among them), and though they have a lot to learn about the game, as says Fernandes, they are just as die-hard as those fans that pack the 70,000 plus seats at Invesco Field on game days.

Similarly to Everton, Bert Jan Brands, a resident of the Netherlands, become a fan in 2007 when he spent a year of High school living in Colorado among die-hard Bronco relatives. "After the overtime win against the Raiders and then the last second field goal against the Bills, I was hooked instantly," said Brands. In 2010, Bert joined Broncos Zone as a contributor and has done an excellent job on the site since then.

Broncos Zone has a large fan base from the Netherlands, with many readers of the blog and several facebook fans residing there, Brands among them. While there are many football fans in Europe and South America, it's not the same as Stateside. For that reason, Brands and Frenandes take advantage of blogs and social networking to stay in touch with fellow Bronco fans. "

Most of my contacts are from Brazil, but I'm also always researching and looking to improving my knowledge about football and the Broncos," wrote Frenandes over email. Brands expounded: "I know a few people at university here (not Broncos fans) who watch games on occasion, but not at the level that I feel like we can have in-depth conversations about the game, the players, and all the good stuff that die-hard fans like to talk about.

"I know quite a few people here who probably think: 'Oh there you have him again, with his football stuff' whenever I'm reading a book on football or look up articles on websites, but it really doesn't bother me. It's my passion, and I enjoy it. So whenever I want to talk about the Broncos or the sport in general, it's great to have Twitter and such websites as Broncos Zone to talk with fellow fans."

Although both bloggers grew up in soccer-loving countries, neither were drawn to it like they are to football. "I love football because it's a strategy team game," said Fernandes. "Every player knows what he need to to do and what the others players need to do too. And yes, after I watched football, I prefer football over soccer."

Brands complied: "I've never been a big fan of soccer like most boys here in Europe grow up to be. I''ll pay attention to the scores on occasion whenever the local team is doing good, but I really can't be bothered to watch it. I love football because every time the ball is snapped there is a chance for a big play for either team, offense or defense. It really is one of the very few sports where if not all 11 guys on the field do their assigned job at the same exact time, things will go wrong."

Both international Bronco fans love quarterback Tim Tebow, "He brings to us some hope again," said Fernandes, who also notes that Tebow is his favorite Bronco. Brands wrote that though he is a big fan of Tebow, his favorite player is wide receiver Eddie Royal. "I met Royal at a practice in London this past October, and he was friendly enough to stop for a picture and gave me his receiving gloves. Great player and even better person. Despite the fact that he has not been as dominant these past two years as during his rookie season, I'll hope he'll be a Bronco for a long time. All around class act."

Both fans have played a little football, "just for fun" and enjoy expanding their knowledge of the game. You can follow them on Twitter, @BertJabB (Brands) and @UTBroncos (Fernandes). We would like to thank both for stopping by, GB²!