It is another example of The Man sticking it to the average fan.<\/p>\n
Having to pay a one-time fee for the right to pay for season tickets? As a financial mechanism, it is a crowbar slammed across the shins.<\/p>\n
Emotionally, I feel for the fan who gets priced out<\/a>. But economically, I am on the Broncos\u2019 side.<\/p>\n Even though president Damani Leech admitted that using PSLs was likely, co-owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner have not made a final decision.\n<\/p>\n \u201cReally, it\u2019s the furthest thing from our minds right now. It\u2019s still a preferred site, but it\u2019s not finalized that we\u2019re going to be in that location. Obviously, that\u2019s where we really want to be. So really, we haven\u2019t even gotten to PSLs yet,\u201d Greg Penner said Tuesday. \u201cOur season ticket holders are vital to our organization and we\u2019re going to keep them informed every step of the way once we get there.\u201d \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Because PSLs \u2014 personal seat licenses \u2014 have left some loyal sports fans SOL around the country, they have taken on a boogeyman quality.<\/p>\n At the risk of spamming my own email, I counter with simple math and fairness.<\/p>\n I would rather people who use the facility take on the burden of additional costs than taxpayers.<\/p>\n Not long after former Hall of Fame owner Pat Bowlen suggested the Broncos could move to Los Angeles nearly three decades ago, voters approved a sales tax that funded 75% of the cost of the current stadium, capped at $270 million. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n How many of those taxpayers have attended a Broncos game?<\/p>\n The team has 22,000 season ticket accounts with a 99.5% renewal rate and 100,000 people on a waiting list. Based on supply and demand, owning a season ticket is a privilege. There will be those who die waiting for the opportunity to purchase.<\/p>\n Could new well-heeled folks change the fabric of the crowd from blue-collar screamers to cheese nibblers and wine sippers? Sure.<\/p>\n However, that transformation, if we are being honest, began with the construction of the current stadium. It has never been as loud as old Mile High.<\/p>\n Would it stink for a lifelong season ticket holder to get priced out? Yes.<\/p>\n Is that worse than never getting a chance to buy season tickets? Or paying taxes for a place you will never step foot in? Nope.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not going to hear a lot of complaints from economists who view this through the public policy lens. They will have no problem with taxes on tickets for the users,\u201d said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor of public affairs at CU-Denver. \u201cBut yes, it can be a shock to some, particularly if you have the perspective that they are part of the community. How can you do it to them?\u201d<\/p>\n Because the Broncos ownership group is the richest in the NFL, there are those who view PSLs as unnecessary, if not a full-on betrayal.<\/p>\n But last time I checked, owning a team and building a stadium is a business.<\/p>\n Could this ownership group, given its personal net worth, privately fund the stadium and not use PSLs? In theory, yes. But in practical terms, PSLs have become equity and a way to recoup or raise capital for projects of this magnitude.\n<\/p>\n I would rather the owners tack on the equivalent of a resort fee to season ticket holders than ask for public money.<\/p>\n The last stadium built without taxpayer dollars or PSLs was in 2002 in New England. In the last 20 years, only the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium and State Farm Stadium did not use PSLs when first built, though the majority of the costs were subsidized by the public.\n<\/p>\n For those who say the Broncos should be different, should be like the Patriots, consider that Gillette cost $325 million. Per The Los Angeles Times, the SoFi Stadium price tag was $5.5 billion in 2020.\n<\/p>\n Given the rising construction costs, it is highly unlikely the Burnham Yard palace will come in under $3 billion, and that is only if it stays on track for a 2031 opening.\n<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say the Penners use PSLs.<\/p>\n Haven\u2019t they earned the benefit of the doubt that they will do it in a reasonable way?<\/p>\n In the four years since they purchased the team for $4.65 billion, they have made a larger impact than Patrick Surtain II or Bo Nix. They hired Sean Payton, kept George Paton, signed core players to nearly a half billion in contract extensions, poured in $100 million to the current stadium, financed a $175 million state-of-the-art team headquarters and are on pace to give $10 million to the community this year.\n<\/p>\n They brought one of the league\u2019s flagship franchises back to life. The playoff drought ended. The streak without an AFC West title and postseason win is in the past.\n<\/p>\n Greg Penner said he expects Super Bowl titles. As in plural.<\/p>\n And the owners have committed to this goal by investing in everything from injury research to improving recovery to nutrition to give the Broncos the best chance to win.<\/p>\n The owners have prioritized the fans\u2019 feedback since taking over, running surveys to improve the gameday experience and gauge reactions to things like PSLs.\n<\/p>\n It will be painful for some season ticket holders. But it will not be a blindside hit.<\/p>\n![\"DENVER](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TDP-L-BRONCOS-PATRIOTSAO2_6336xx.jpg\")
A Denver Broncos fan cheers his team on against the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, January 25, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n![\"Denver](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TDP-L-BRONCOS-BILLSAO1_9701x.jpg\")
Denver Broncos fans get loud during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n