TAMPA, Fla — March Madness has been played right here in Tampa Bay for two straight years, bringing fans from all over the globe to watch the teams they root for or just to take in some college basketball.
The influx of fans is giving bars like Top Shelf Sports Lounge the business they need.
WATCH: March Madness fans flock to Tampa Bay and bring a massive surge in business to local bars and hotels
"We did easily 2 times the sales of a normal Thursday, maybe close to 3 times the sales of a normal Thursday," says Keelan Cottle, co-owner of Top Shelf.
With the Women's Final Four in Tampa last year, college basketball has now played their playoffs in Tampa two straight years.. Tampa Bay 28 reporter asked Cottle how having two huge events right here in the last few years has impacted business.
"Yeah, it's awesome, huge impact for the business. Obviously, we have a ton of different hotels in the downtown area, one right across the street from us, one a block away, so you know these hotels get packed out with all these different teams, and we see a huge influx," the owner said.
Luca and Paul Broderic are among the fans taking it all in. They grew up in Canada before attending the University of Alabama. This year marks their first trip to March Madness and Tampa.
"This is our first time here and we love it here, and we're just excited to get the day to just be in this atmosphere," the Broderic's said.
While the Broderic's are going to their first March Madness tournament, Mike and Theresa Brown are going to their 25th. The older couple is visiting from Cleveland.
"If you're watching college sports, you get to act like you're still in college," Mike Brown said.
This is not their first time in Tampa, and they are running into friends they have met along the way.
"You meet a lot of different people, and you catch up with them and everything," Theresa Brown said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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