When trying to determine the most popular sports in Colorado, it is important to make a distinction between spectator sports and sporting activities enjoyed by the general population.
For example, in terms of spectator sports in Colorado, American Football has to be up there, with the Denver Broncos proving extremely popular among sports fans in the state. It is no surprise to see the NFL team as one of the most popular teams in Colorado and the same applies to College Football. The Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams football teams regularly attract big crowds for games, underlining the popularity of football in Colorado.
Due to the significant interest in football, many fans choose to back their team with a wager. William Hill in Colorado is one of the leading online sportsbooks and has partnered with two casinos in Black Hawk to offer in-person betting and online mobile betting. In addition to a fantastic selection of NFL and College Football betting markets, you will find other sports including ice hockey and basketball.
As far as ice hockey is concerned, this sport is regarded as being the second most popular in Colorado for fans. The Colorado Avalanche play in the National Hockey League as a member of the West Division and play their matches at the impressive Ball Arena. At the time of writing, Colorado Avalanche hold the record of being the only active NHL team that has won all of its Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
The Ball Arena is also home to the Denver Nuggets, a professional basketball team playing in the Western Conference Northwest Division of the National Basketball Association. The Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League also play their home game at the Ball Arena and the sport of lacrosse has many fans in Colorado. Baseball is also a popular spectator sport, with the Colorado Rockies competing in Major League Baseball. They play their games at Coors Field, which has a capacity of just over 50,000 people and the venue is expected to host the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, which should attract a capacity crowd.
As highlighted above, there is a difference between the most popular spectator sports and participation sports in Colorado. In terms of the most popular sport in Colorado for the general population, skiing probably attracts the greatest number of participants. Skiing is neither cheap or easy to learn but people in Colorado clearly love the sport and there is a huge number of ski resorts in Colorado, which attract millions of people every year. It is believed 1 in 6 people in the state have shown an interest in skiing.
Perhaps the most accessible sport in Colorado or anywhere on the planet is running. It is cheap and easy to start, so it will come as no surprise to find running is extremely popular with people in the state. Cycling and fishing are not far behind, with snowboarding, golf, and mountain biking also featuring high on the list of the most popular sports in Colorado.
