Fans visit Fort Worth Stockyards ahead of Armed Forces Bowl – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

It’s a sold-out game for Friday’s Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. Ahead of the showdown, fans are spending a little time enjoying the festive scene at the Stockyards.

It is the place to be in Fort Worth less than 24 hours ahead of kickoff. The Stockyards are known for having plenty to do and see during the holidays. This year, it only made sense for University of Oklahoma and Navy fans to get in on the festivities as well.

OU student and Texas native Kevin Daniel came out with his dad Jeff for a little pre-Bowl game excitement.

“Just to know something that’s really local for me so I don’t have to travel all the way to Birmingham, Alabama or Tampa, Florida. This is an hour drive from my house, and I get to see my team play,” said Daniel.

He said it was the perfect time to experience something for the first time.

“This is my first time ever going to the Stockyards, period. So just to kind of look around and see, even if you do some window shopping, just to see everything that’s going on here it’s definitely something I’d come back to,” he said.

The Fort Worth Stockyards bring in more than $134 million annually with retail and restaurants. An end-of-year Armed Forces Bowl in the city is certain to bring an additional boost, with Sooner fans rubbing shoulders with Navy fans.

“My daughter and her boyfriend are midshipmen so yeah, we’re going to the game,” said Todd McWhorter.

McWhorter said it only makes sense for his family to root for the Navy.

“Oh, we’re Texas fans too, so we hate OU. So, we’re looking forward to them beating OU,” he said.

And he said one of the best ways to bond, other than the game of course, is to spend time here.

“Her boyfriend is from out of town and so we like to bring him down here and show him around and it’s just a great opportunity,” he said.

The Armed Forces Bowl kicks off Friday at 11 a.m. Central Time.