New Orleans, a city with a vibrant city life, a population crazed with both their professional and college football teams, a city with a basketball franchise struggling mightily this season…and a basketball arena that on average is 98.9% full every night, good enough to be in the top half of the league. Look no further than neighboring Texas, a state that could not possibly be more football crazed and all of their professional basketball teams are in the top half of the league for attendance.

In Dallas, another city filled with things to do (including professional sports teams in all four major sports) and where the Cowboys are and always will be king, the Mavericks are the number one team in the NBA in terms of attendance. Denver, vibrant city life, pro sports teams in all major sports, football crazed population, terrible attendance at the Nuggets games. A team that is just two seasons removed from a decade of playoff appearances can’t even fill the arena three quarters of the way. I don’t know about you, but as a Nuggets fan I want that to change and now a group called the Denver Sidekicks is going to lead the charge. I got a chance to talk with the founder Aniello Piro to find out just what they’re all about.

Denver Stiffs: What personally made you a Nuggets fan?

Aniello Piro: I moved here about five years ago from California and prior to living there I lived in New York/New Jersey. My entire life I'd never had the opportunity to root for my home team, so when I made the move to Denver I decided to adopt the Denver Nuggets as my favorite basketball team so I could be involved 24/7 365.

DS: Instead of the Lakers or Knicks you went Nuggets? Good stuff! So, what inspired you to start the Denver Sidekicks?

AP: At the beginning of the season I was watching a game against the Utah Jazz at home. I noticed that the Pepsi Center was almost completely empty and I became frustrated. The Pepsi Center was silent, the crowd was not in the game at all, and the team as a whole had no life or energy. I made it a personal goal of mine to bring the fans back to the Pepsi Center to give the Denver Nuggets a true home court advantage.

DS: And what exactly are the Denver Sidekicks?

AP: The main objective of the Sidekicks is a fun time for people of all ages to come out to the Pepsi Center and cheer on their hometown Denver Nuggets. We’re aiming to do an outing a month and our first will be January 10th against the Hornets. We want to make the Pepsi Center electric and inspire the rest of the crowd to be loud and into the game. Along with this we want to give the players a true home-court advantage and make them feel at home. We also want to make the opposing teams cringe whenever they have to come play at the Pepsi Center.

DS: Awesome! Sounds like something a lot of people would want to get on board with. If they do, how can they be part of it or get more info?

AP: Our Twitter handle is @denversidekicks, this will be the easiest place to get a hold of us as far as tickets or questions are concerned. On the Twitter page we will be posting updates about upcoming outings as well as the link to purchase tickets through the Altitude website.

DS: And what should people know/expect when attending a game with the Denver Sidekicks?

AP: I want the fans to know that when you sit with the Sidekicks at a Nuggets home game it becomes more than a basketball game. It becomes an event, an event that can lead to great success both on and off the court. The objective of the outing is to bring life back to the Pepsi Center and make the Pepsi Center the premier entertainment capital of the city of Denver. Paint this picture, you are sitting in section 136 behind the basket, court level, with over 100 screaming, passionate, loud, exciting, energetic, and die hard Denver Nuggets basketball fans. The fans will partake in cheers and chants to make our players feel at home while making the opposing team feel like they are in hell.

DS: My daughter is three, she loves Rocky and at least knows how to cheer "Go Nuggets!!" Can she come?

AP: The outings will be a great experience for everyone no matter what age! We encourage any and all Denver Nuggets basketball fans to come out and sit with #sidekicks and partake in forming a piece of Denver Nuggets history and take back the city one home game at a time.

DS: Ok, this all sounds great…but tickets are expensive and I'm on a tight budget.

AP: I have been able to work alongside the organization to come up with a fair price for everyone sitting in our section. The seats are sold at a discounted price and are guaranteed to be the lowest price in that section. Feel free to check ticket selling websites if you don't believe me. Prices also remain competitive with scalpers selling tickets outside however purchasing tickets with us give you a 100% guarantee into the game with no hassle and negotiation.

DS: I'll take your word for it, but what about some of our more skeptical readers, where can they go to get these great prices?

AP: Check out the link right here!

DS: Love it, love it, love it! I'll be there!

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