JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The stakes weren’t just high on the football field during Monday Night Football. Local businesses across Jacksonville felt the rush, too, as fans flooded shops and restaurants ahead of the primetime showdown.
For Mathew Smith, owner of Sportsmania in Jacksonville Beach, the surge was both exhilarating and exhausting.
“I have been dripping sweat all day, hustling, trying to get all these amazing Jaguar fans geared up,” Smith said. “Thirty to forty people came in the front door in ten seconds. We’ve had a line at the register all day long. It has been insane.”
Sportsmania, a family-owned shop that has been sticking up Jaguars fans with jerseys and gear for decades, reported some of the biggest crowds and longest lines in years.
Smith said demand for vintage throwback