Logistics at the Super Bowl

While millions of Brazilians eagerly await the weekend to enjoy Carnival, North Americans and sports fans are counting down to another event that will take place on Sunday: the final of the National Football League (NFL), better known like Super Bowl (Want to understand how the Super Bowl is formed? Here).

A few months ago I commented here about logistics at the Olympics, the biggest sporting event in the world. This time, the challenge is different, but the importance is not. To get an idea of ​​what the Super Bowl represents, last year the match was watched by about 163 million people worldwide (111,4 million viewers in the United States alone, the largest audience in the history of North American television). In the parallel market, the average ticket price for this year's final is US$ 5.300 (about R$ 21.300), and can reach up to US$ 17.500 (about R$ 70.350). Some of the most creative and historic commercials on television have aired during halftime, after all, it is the most expensive commercial slot in the world: in 2016, a 30-second commercial is valued at $4,8 million ( around BRL 19,3 million).

On Sunday, the Colorado-based Denver Broncos and the North Carolina-born Carolina Panthers face off in California for their 50th Super Bowl title (Figure 1). If you wondered why the game will take place in California, far from the two states, know that this is one of the logistical challenges inherent to the event. The venue where the match is held changes annually and the choice takes place at least 3 years in advance, therefore regardless of the teams disputing the final. This means that, in addition to having to carry out a very different plan each year, a huge number of fans and fans of the sport travel to the host city. In addition to the 70.000 people who will fill the Levi's Stadium in the decision, more than 1 million people are expected this week in San Francisco Bay, the place that will house the media center and the super bowl city, space dedicated to concerts, stores, events and a theme park directly related to American football.

Figure 1 - Location of finalists and Super Bowl teams

Source: Adapted from Google Maps

The weather condition is another factor that usually adds complexity to the Super Bowl. Because it always happens at this time of the year, the winter period in the Northern Hemisphere, games are commonly held at low temperatures, which makes it difficult, in addition to the match itself, to transport materials to the stadium, for example. An emblematic case of this situation was the Ice Bowl, as the 1967 championship final became popularly known, when the teams played in Wisconsin at a temperature of -26^oC. This year the temperature should not be an inconvenience, as California is located closer to the equator. However, heavy rains boosted by the El Niño phenomenon bring concern to the event's logistics team.

Ensuring the security of an event that is so popular around the world, coordinating the 50 different organizations involved in the event, planning the arrival and departure of thousands of spectators. Those are just a few logistical challenges of the Super Bowl. However, nothing draws as much attention as the logistical operation involved in the show that takes place during halftime. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Rolling Stones, U2 and Beyoncé were some of the great artists who have commanded the halftime show and made memorable performances. This year, the English band Coldplay will be the main attraction and the challenge remains: to assemble, in up to 8 minutes, a high-tech stage, full of lights and special effects. In order not to damage the lawn, all material movement is done on foot and using only volunteers. After the approximately 12 minutes of the show, everything must be dismantled within 7 minutes so that the game can start over as if nothing had happened. Video 2 shows, in accelerated time, the impressive operation involved in last year's concert performed by singer Katy Perry.

Video 2 – Fast-forward video of the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show

Source: dorktech

Carrying out the logistics of an event that involves so many people and spectators is always a huge challenge and, on Sunday, another chapter of this story will take place. Flood, field invasion and power outage were some of the situations that caused a lot of headaches for the event organizers and made the newspapers the day after the Super Bowl. While Peyton manning e Cam Newton, leaders of the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, respectively, dream of being the next day's headline, the logistics team works not to be named. For a professional in the field, going unnoticed can be one of the greatest compliments and signs of a perfect job!

Are you interested in the Super Bowl, but don't understand American football well? Check it out in this short video the main rules of the game.