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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y.- Super Bowl Sunday will offer New York fans a chance to root, eat, and wear the colors of their favorite football team. Because of the strong interest in Sunday's matchup Mount Kisco Sports owner Rob Bernstein was not surprised to see his entire stock of New York Giants gear, including, shirts, jerseys, hats and sweaters disappear from his shelves faster than Victor Cruz running to catch another touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
Whatever we had, whether it be jerseys, sweatshirts, or hats, are really gone now, everything, said Bernstein, who has owned the store since it opened in 1997. Its great. It doesnt always work out that way.
He claims the reason for the empty shelves was the fact that Giants fans are flat-out more confident this year than they were the last time the team made it to the Super Bowl. The opponent in each of those games, the New England Patriots, are considered one of the great teams of the past decade. Looking back four years, the bad boys from Massachusetts were undefeated through the regular season and made it through the playoffs untouched and unscathed. That was until Big Blue upset the mighty Patriots. This year pundits have made the Pats favorites, but many believe the Giants will once again prevail.
The fans are very excited, as opposed to 2008, we didnt really believe they would win then, he said. But now, people really believe theyre going to win, despite it being a shock then. And right now, theyre the best team in football.
One can excuse Bernsteins confidence, as he is a Giants fan himself. Despite owning a store filled with Giants material to be bought and collected, Bernstein still has his Giants sweater from the 1986-7 season, when the Giants won their first Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.
But young fans around the area flocked to the store over the last few weeks to collect their own memorabilia that will one day serve as a reminder of February 5, 2012, no matter the outcome.
As was the case with Willa Derose, a student at Robert E. Bell School in Chappaqua, who got the last jersey in the store. And while the thoughts of Sunday went through her mind, a family tradition also played a large part in the purchase. My whole family is rooting for the Giants, she said. My dad would kill me if I didnt!
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