JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – When the Jacksonville Jaguars are hot, demand for their merchandise is even hotter at Sports Mania.
Now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have improved to 11-4 and are one step closer to making the NFL playoffs following yesterday’s huge win over Denver, there’s a national discussion about the team’s potential to make it to the Super Bowl.
As the team continues to rack up wins, Jaguar-mania continues to grow, and that mania was on full display Monday morning when Jags fans showed up in full force to purchase their gear.
Shirts, hats, hoodies, jerseys, and anything that said Jags or had a Jaguar logo were the prime purchase items.
MORE COVERAGE: That wasn’t just a win, that was a statement by the Jaguars to the rest of the NFL | Jaguars can’t get overlooked anymore after an impressive, statement win over Denver
Store owner Mathew Smith said now that the Jags have taken the national spotlight in the NFL, Jaguar merchandise is selling off the shelves as fast as it is delivered to the store.
He also said people are calling in advance for specific player jerseys as Christmas neared.
“We’re trying to air-freight the stuff in here to be able to feed the city as fast as we can,” said Smith, who also mentioned the fact that the number of people showing up at the store was unusual for Monday morning.
Smith said there would typically be just a handful of people shopping at the store on a Monday morning, but the day after the Jags defeated the Broncos, he said more than 20 people had rushed into the store right after it opened.
“25 people were shopping in here at 10:30 in the morning. This is the most amazing thing for the city and for a small business owner. Last year, that was not the case for us,” Smith said.
This year, fans have a reason to be hyped up, especially now that it appears the Jags will go to the postseason and are dominating the national conversation about being a team that other teams should not overlook in the playoffs. News4JAX spoke with Jags fans about the current Jaguar hype as the fans stood in the Sports Mania checkout line.
“To finally see the jags getting the recognition they deserve is really exciting,” said Clair Hullender
“The jags are popping off. It’s been incredible,” said Tony Cinca
“Any team can win, but they are clicking on all cylinders right now,” Kevin Brown said.
“It’s been several years since we have done what we have done. We’re just kicking butt,” said Robert Bowman
“I told my wife that if they win the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl, we have to go,” said David Clifton.
When it comes to the NFL, the Jags are considered to be a small-market team, but now it’s a small-market team gaining major-market attention.