Staying Optimistic

The $tadium Game Part I: Amid another nationwide stadium boom, will Broncos build new home to land what Rockies have and what Nuggets, Avs are getting? Part II: Is Coors Field the model for publicly financed stadium success? How the Monforts struck gold in LoDo. Part III: Ball Arena was always window into downtown Denver land development for Stan Kroenke Part IV: New Broncos stadium?

The Kansas City Chiefs are resting Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and several other starters against Denver in the regular-season finale on Sunday with nothing at stake. Related Articles Denver Broncos | Broncos 14, Chiefs 0: Bo Nix finds Courtland Sutton for 10-yard touchdown Denver Broncos | The $tadium Game: Inside the lucrative world of Colorado’s pro sports stadiums Denver Broncos | Will Broncos build new stadium?

Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Chiefs in Denver. Live updates Second-quarter updates Staying perfect (3:15 p.m.): Broncos’ Bo Nix on a heater 14-for-14 to start the game. That could be the best in team history. Broncos are efforting to check it out. — Renck Converted (3:13 p.m.): Bo Nix dives right for the first down.

Out on his family’s 11,700-acre farm, Samuel Meisner calloused his hands and made himself a champion. The Wray senior is part of the fourth generation to contribute to the family business, Lenz Farms. And long summer days spent fixing fences, servicing equipment, sorting potatoes and scouting fields turned the 17-year-old into a football star (running back/middle linebacker on the Eagles’ undefeated title team) and wrestling state champion. “Growing up on the farm, it’s built character because it’s taught me a lot of lessons about hard work,” Meisner said.

In this four-part special report, The Denver Post investigates the state of professional sports stadiums in Denver and what could be coming next, from publicly funded facilities that set the trend (Coors Field) to those whose ambitions have yet to be realized (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park). Four stadiums/arenas were built in the Denver metro area in a 14-year period straddling the turn of the century — an era that saw a nationwide stadium boom funded in part by taxpayer dollars.

When Stan Kroenke entered himself into a messy, drawn-out bidding war for ownership of the Nuggets and Avalanche, the vacant land next to Pepsi Center might’ve seemed like the least attractive portion of the potential winnings. The arena itself was brand-new. The star-studded Avs had christened it on Oct. 13, 1999, with a 2-1 win over the Bruins.