There’s something in the Arlington air – and it’s not just the cold. Excitement is building as the city gets set to become the center of the sports universe once again.
“Anytime a big event like that is here in the area, there’s excitement around,” said Marco Vidal, Director of Revenue Management for the Arlington Sheraton. “You can feel the buzz.”
Fans are already checking into the Arlington Sheraton, which is just up the street from AT&T Stadium. The hotel is completely booked for Sunday and Monday – and completely stocked with championship gear. It has a merchandise booth set up in its lobby.
The Randol Mill Wal-Mart, just across the street from Jerry World, made special Championship Game displays out of soda boxes and has just about every piece of Oregon and Ohio State gear a fan could think of.
“We’re very excited,” said Linda Hickman, assistant manager at the store. “There are a lot of people – new people. And it’s very energetic.”
The National Championship Trophy even made an appearance at the store Friday, giving fans the chance to take a picture with it.
“Ran into it by luck,” said Kevin Henley, an Ohio State fan, who was at Wal-Mart. “We didn’t even know it was happening. We just showed up and there was the trophy. So it was cool.”
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Lots of eager fans also spent the day at AT&T Stadium Friday, picking up tickets and taking tours as crews put the finishing touches on the arena and the Championship Tailgate area just outside of it.
“To come down and see this – the inaugural [College Football Playoff National Championship], it’s pretty exciting,” said Rich Grimm, an Ohio State fan.
“We’re checking out, you know, where we’re going to park on Monday and tailgate,” said Jim Van Damme, an Oregon fan. “We just wanted to check out the facility.”
The CFB Playoff National Championship kicks off 7:30 p.m. Monday. The game is sold out – but organizers just released a limited number of standing room only tickets. They’re $200 each and can only be purchased at the AT&T Stadium Box Office.
