I can almost guarantee you that when Jake Steinfeld had the idea of a professional outdoor lacrosse league, he envisioned a franchise like the Denver Outlaws. Denver is the perfect example that professional lacrosse can work… and grow. Despite fluctuations and changes around Major League Lacrosse, the Denver franchise plays at an NFL stadium, is highly successful on the field and literally breaks attendance records on an annual basis. The Outlaws continually raise the bar within professional lacrosse.
Year after year, the Outlaws pick up where they left off. After going 14-0 during the 2013 regular season, they’re now 3-0 in 2014 to give them 23-straight regular season games dating back to 2012.
Not only have the Outlaws impressed on the field, but they’ve also enjoyed success off it. Denver drew nearly 7,000 fans to its home opener against Ohio and has made a habit of breaking its own records.
The Outlaws host an annual fireworks display on (or near) the fourth of July. In 2007, they broke the world professional lacrosse attendance record (indoor and outdoor) when 19,793 fans came to their game against Chicago. Denver has gone on to break its own record the next six years, eventually reaching 30,128 fans for its July 4, 2012 game against the Ohio Machine. Then last season, the Outlaws drew 31,019 for their Independence Day game against New York.
Denver averaged 9,466 fans per game last summer, almost 1,000 more than second-place Chesapeake (8,596). The Outlaws are consistently among the league leaders in attendance.
On the field, the Outlaws have been incredibly consistent. In their first season, the team was 10-2 and advanced to the championship game where it fell to the Philadelphia Barrage. Denver has never finished a season below .500. Its “worst” seasons were in 2007 and 2011 when the Outlaws finished 7-5, but in both years, it was still good enough for the four-team playoffs. Denver has finished first five times, reaching four championship games.
The biggest criticism (and undoubtedly a very significant one) is the Outlaws lack of success in the postseason. Denver has gone just 4-8 in playoff games, failing to win an MLL Championship. Last season, Denver went a perfect 14-0, but lost to Charlotte in the semifinals. The Outlaws have failed to win the “big one.”
Despite the tough endings and disappointing finishes, the Outlaws continue to reload. Expectations are always high. Winning a championship is the goal of any team, at any level, of any sport. However, not winning a championship doesn’t indicate a poor season. In fact, the Outlaws are the perfect example of a franchise that is successful despite not winning a title.
Major League Lacrosse is saturated with tremendous talent. Look up and down any MLL roster and you see college All-Americans and the best players in the sport. Denver may have been the best team during the 2013 regular season, but the other teams aren’t far behind. It’s not like the NBA, NFL or MLB when there’s usually an obvious talent gap when comparing the first and last-place teams. In Major League Lacrosse, the tremendous talent from top to bottom has played a role in Denver not getting over the hump. Sure, the Outlaws deserve some blame. They haven’t gotten it done, not yet at least. But not winning the big one has as much to do with talented opponents as them “choking” or not coming through. People say it’s hard to beat a team twice in the same season. Just think how hard it is to beat multiple teams two (or sometimes three) times in a year. That’s what Denver has needed to do. The Outlaws do so well in the regular season that come playoffs, their opponents know what to expect.
Like the University of Denver Pioneers who have made four straight NCAA Quarterfinals, the Outlaws have helped grow the game of lacrosse. The franchise has made a concerted effort to keep some Pioneers home, which only adds to the connection with Denver lacrosse fans. The Outlaws leading scorer this season is former Pioneer Eric Law with 10 goals and three assists.
The Denver Outlaws are 73-30 in their history. Whenever you think they’re due for a down year, they keep on winning. Players want to play for Denver. The atmosphere is tremendous. It’s just about everything you could ask for from professional lacrosse. Maybe this is the year the Outlaws break through and win their first championship? Either way, a championship won’t change what they already have—the model MLL franchise.
