Jacksonville Jaguars stadium, Darlington Raceway open for Pokémon Go

The Jacksonville Jaguars opened their stadium on Monday but there were no football players in sight.

No, the Jags opened their doors to thousands of gamers glued to their smart phones in what was called ‘Pokémon Safari’ at EverBank Field.

"We know that everyone has been all over Jacksonville playing Pokémon GO, but have not had the opportunity to play inside EverBank Field,” Jaguars VP Steve Ziff said in a statement.

“That's why we're opening up the stadium for our fans. We want all Jacksonville Pokémon trainers to be the very best and to catch ‘em all!"

According to ESPN.com, the Jaguars expected 10,000 Pokémon enthusiasts to head over to the stadium but the team estimated more than 15,000 showed up to the free event.

Those participating were able to traverse the stadium for their hunt and the stadium’s famous pools in the upper deck were also part of the experience.

"We actually knew it would be big, but we didn't know how big it was going to get to," Ziff told ESPN. "It's pretty amazing."

On Tuesday, AP reported that NASCAR’s Darlington Raceway is also getting into the Pokémon craze as it will open its gates Thursday for a virtual raceway search.

According to AP, players will be charged $10 with $5 going to charity and the other $5 coming in the form of a ticket to a practice session for August’s Southern 500.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Jacksonville Jaguars stadium, Darlington Raceway open for Pokémon Go."