Union 1, Columbus Crew 0

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.

For nearly a century, Colorado’s Monfort family has cashed in on the right idea at the right time and place. So it is with Coors Field, a publicly funded stadium that became a gold mine for one of the state’s most famous families. 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?

The Colorado Rockies have had 23 losing seasons since they arrived in Denver in the summer of 1993. The Nuggets have had 12, the Broncos 11, and the Avalanche five. But from a business perspective, Denver’s Major League Baseball franchise has something the Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche all envy — a destination stadium with an adjoining neighborhood that acts as another money stream. 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?

Dave Keefe, the owner of The Original Brooklyn’s just south of Empower Field, has witnessed the evolution of the neighborhoods around the Broncos’ stadiums over the 41 years he’s operated his restaurant at the corner of Old West Colfax Avenue and Morrison Road. Like many, he’s unsure what the area’s future holds, now that the Broncos are exploring building a new stadium elsewhere. But there is one thing he’s positive of should Empower Field cease to be the Broncos’ home: Sun Valley will be OK. “If they leave, this is going to be the biggest empty hunk of land in the central part of Denver that’s undeveloped,” Keefe said as he pointed toward the stadium and its lots packed with tailgaters.

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.