Zac Stevens, a sports journalist and co-host of the DNVR Broncos Podcast, has spent the last few years covering the Denver Broncos. He graduated from the University of Denver and has since built a career beyond reporting for the Broncos; he has also scouted for the Cleveland Browns.
In this email interview, Stevens reflects on his career and the role that economics plays in sports journalism, primarily through concepts you would see in an Economics 101 college course, including the challenges and rewards of working in Denver’s sports media scene.
Question: What is it like to do what you do?
Stevens: It’s truly a dream job for me. Growing up a Broncos fan and transitioning to reporting on the team has been such an awesome experience. Now that I’ve been doing it for a decade, there are some parts of the job that feel like “work,” but the majority of my job is awesome. I get to interview players, watch practice, do a daily podcast, and write about the Broncos. Over the past year, I’ve traveled to every Broncos road game and been to every event, practice and game they have.
Question: How does human capital/economics affect the kind of work that you do?
Stevens: Truly, human capital and economics is the only thing that limits what I/we do as a company. As my company DNVR has grown (both financially and the number of people who work here), so have the opportunities and things we are able to do. With more people and finances, we are able to do more writing, podcasting, videos and social media. Also the quality of the work increases too. Both are very directly tied to the quality of work we do and the quantity.
Question: What kind of community service do you see the Broncos doing every once in a while?
Stevens: Many players are heavily involved in the community. Just yesterday, I covered a community event that Nik Bonitto had where he handed out healthy meals to families in need. The Broncos players’ off day is Tuesday, and typically players are doing community service events on those days during the season. Pat Surtain II had one just two weeks ago.
Question: When you joined DNVR what were some challenges that came along with it?
Stevens: There were plenty of challenges at the beginning though. First, financially. Second, breaking into the industry with a startup wasn’t easy either. With a startup, there wasn’t a lot of money. So I had to work multiple jobs while not getting paid a lot at this job for many years. It took about five years for that to change and for it to become my only job.
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The DNVR podcast records not only 2-6 shows at one time, it is one of the main hubs for all things sports around Colorado. The show hosts the state’s sports teams such as the NHL Avalanche, the NCAA Buffaloes, and many more, along with the Broncos.
Stevens’ journey from a lifelong Broncos fan to a leading voice in Denver sports media highlights his love for the team and for journalism. His perspective on economics, community, and dedication shows the effort and passion that went into not only shaping his career but also giving fans something to look forward to each and every day. While Stevens spoke that the job has its challenges, he sees it as a dream come true.
A special thank you to Zac Stevens for his time and thoughtful answers that contributed to writing this article.
