Tim Tebow merchandise
/ Alex Dunbar
CORTLAND -- Excitement is building in the city of Cortland for the return of the New York Jets this summer.
Officials believe the excitement surrounding Tim Tebow at camp could lead to double the revenue at restaurants, hotels and other businesses in the area.
Tebow is a polarizing quarterback whose supporters point to several big wins as a starter for the Denver Broncos, including a big win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs.
The Jets will bring 80 players to their training camp at SUNY Cortland this summer and millions of dollars in economic impact. Having the NFL in Cortland was already a big deal but with the addition of Tebow, the city expects attendance at training camp will be up significantly.
"The expectations are going to be 3 times bigger than they were two years ago when the Jets were here," said Steve Wineburg from Bernard's Custom Logos in Cortland. "I spoke with someone from the city who is expecting the impact to be about 5 million for the city next year."
Wineburg started printing custom "Cortland Tebow-mania" T-shirts a few hours after the trade was announced. Wineburg says he's been selling up to 12 shirts a day. Tim Tebow may be the backup quarterback but he's the star attraction for fans
"They're bringing a superstar into town, we'll probably have a parade, (Jets Head Coach) Rex Ryan will probably talk again," said Cortland football fan Mitchell Seweryn.
Adam Megivern from the Cortland Downtown Partnership says the media circus that will follow Tebow should give Cortland the kind of exposure money can't buy.
"The branding for Cortland, this is not something we could have undertaken on our own. Being associated with the Jets and Tim Tebow now - you'll hear Cortland, New York on the national scene."
"Tebow-mania" could mean HBO comes back to Cortland too. Jets owner Woody Johnson confirmed the cable channel has had informal conversations with the team about shooting the "Hard Knocks" reality series at Jets training camp this summer. HBO also filmed "Hard Knocks" in Cortland with the Jets in 2010.
