While the Gator football team faced a tough season, stores that sell Gator merchandise aren't seeing a lack of profits because of its lack of points.
Jamie Brockman, the manager of Gator Fever on Archer Road, said he started noticing it would be a down year before the football season started. He thinks the lower sales numbers could be due to the number of star players that left the team after last season.
He said the store still sells a few Tim Tebow Gator jerseys, but the Tebow Broncos jerseys have become more popular.
Fans are still buying merchandise because they support the Gators, even if the team isn't winning as much.
"They are still fans," he said.
Ray Holloway is one of those fans. He purchased a Gator medallion for his car from Gator Fever and is still supporting the Gators because he looks at the big picture.
"It's not just one season that makes a team or a program," he said.
He grew up in Gainesville and has been a Gator fan for 41 years, and his daughter Riley, 10, has been a Gator fan her whole life.
"We've got all kinds of Gator stuff at the house," he said.
Joi Bass, the owner and manager of Gator Shop on University Avenue, hasn't noticed a decrease in sales this season. She attributes that to loyal Gator fans.
"I don't know if we just have a really loyal fan base or really loyal customers," she said.
However, she has noticed a decrease in sales the past two years compared to when the Gators won the national championship.
"I guess it's kind of hard to look at Tebow years and not non-Tebow years," Holloway laughed.
Even though he has been upset by the losses this season, his loyalty isn't wavering.
"It's frustrating," he said, "but we are still fans."
