JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gator Nation is in San Antonio, Texas ahead of the National Championship game on Monday night as the men’s basketball team gets ready to take on the Houston Cougars.
It’s also big business for the Sports Mania, a Jacksonville Beach business, which has a tent set up near the game site. Owner John A. Smith says there are an average of about 4,000 customers a day and they are working overtime.
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“We have the invasion of the Houston fans but we’ve got a lot of Gators chomping out here and the question is are we going to come out on top?” said Smith, who has been in business for 50 years.
Smith showed News4JAX around his tent in San Antonio where there were Gators fans coming and going all day long.
Smith, who once played basketball for the Gators many moons ago, said this is a special time for him.
“I’m going to the game for my birthday, how about that,” he said. “Go Gators!”
Smith is going to the game in honor of his 72nd birthday.
