TAMPA, Fla. – The SEC Basketball tournament continues in Tampa this weekend and local businesses are looking to cash in.

What You Need To Know

  • SEC basketball tournament continues at Tampa this weekend

  • Tampa-based Smack Apparel is cashing in, making shirts for fans

  • For more information, visit smackapparel.com

When it comes to sporting events, Smack Apparel in Tampa is always ready to go. The SEC tournament provides a unique opportunity to have some of their loyal customers right here in town.

“For Tampa to have this tournament in the backyard, it’s great for us,” said co-owner Jeff Attinella. “It gives us a chance to really connect with the fan bases, which is what we’re all about.”

Smack Apparel has made its brand just that: talking smack on T-shirts since 1998.

And fans of SEC teams love to do just that to each other, playing right into the tournament and T-shirt business.

For example, a shirt of Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl has become one of their biggest sellers this season. Smack Apparel sold hundreds of that shirt alone this week.

“The fans have loved it,” Attinella said. “The basketball team has had it. We even have Bruce himself giving it the thumbs up.”

Although Auburn lost Friday afternoon, there’s still lots of basketball and other teams left.

It is March, after all.

While most of their business is online, the guys at Smack Apparel plan to be out with the tournament fans this weekend, something they don’t always get to do, to show off their merch in person.

“A lot of the business we do is usually online,” Attinella said. “So we don’t get the chance to really interact with the fans and let them know our personalities and really connect with them.”

For more information, visit their website.