Imagine yourself watching a Denver Broncos game. Trevor Siemian has driven the ball to the 1-yard line with just a few seconds left to play. Devontae Booker has been running the ball well, but he’s failed on his last two third-and-shorts. Demaryius Thomas has one-on-one coverage on the outside.
What do the Broncos do?
Well, unfortunately your opinion doesn’t matter. That’s the offensive coordinator’s job; you’re just the fan.
Until now.
In February, FANchise will go live in Salt Lake City, marking the first ever fan-run professional sports franchise. And when they say fan-run, they mean fan-run, from the team name, to coaching hires, to roster moves, to play calls — the fans control it all.
Not long after, the Colorado Crush will join the fun.
On Thursday, FANchise co-owner Ray Austin and Crush co-owner Al Wilson, who both played football together at the University of Tennessee, joined Kent Erickson on of The Big Show with Irv and Joe on Mile High Sports Radio to talk about the sports revolution FANchise hopes to provide.
“The FANchise is the first fan-ran organization, giving the fans access to the day-to-day operations of what it takes to actually run a football organization,” Wilson said. “We’re pulling the curtains back and allowing the fans to really get involved and be a part of what’s going on.”
And while the idea may seem a little out there, it’s really not that far removed from another pastime we’ve already come to know and love.
“With fantasy sports taking off with how it has, I feel like this is the evolution of fantasy sports,” Wilson said. “This has given us an opportunity to do something for the fans that hasn’t been done before.”
Right now both teams will be playing in the IFL, otherwise known as the Indoor Football League, but they’re hoping it becomes better known as the Interactive Football League.
“I think this is something that can be big,” Wilson said. “Our ultimate goal is for the whole league to be interactive, where the fans run the whole league — all 10 teams. And I think we can get there.”
And when they do, it won’t just change the way we watch sports; it’ll change the way we talk about sports, too.
“And that’s the great thing about it: You won’t be able to blame the head coach anymore,” Wilson said. “You gotta blame your peers and other fans, because you’ll be the ones calling the plays and making this thing run.”
To hear more from Al Wilson and Ray Austin, check out the full podcast below …
Catch The Big Show with Irv and Joe Monday-Friday from 12p-2p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.