Super Bowl spurs football merchandise sales in Arizona

PHOENIX — The New England Patriots were not the only ones left smiling after Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz.

Stores that sold team merchandise saw a massive spike in sales thanks to the big game.

“Every single jersey is gone,” said Kelly Roberts, co-owner of Just Sports. “Every single jersey. It is wiped clean. The mannequins are bare.”

The Seattle merchandise was going twice as fast in the beginning before New England fans started arriving, he said. But once the game was decided, the Patriots were by far the biggest seller.

“2008 was a little bit of an unknown commodity, and as that unfolded, we all got better,” Roberts said. “And our shelves are bare, and in 2008 that was not the case. We were liquidating.”

Roberts said his company has recorded record sales over the past days.

“I think we did much better as a company, and I think Arizona better,” he said.