After an exciting season of helmet-crushing football, we finally know who’s going to play in one of sports’ top events in North America. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
The best players in the NFL do not always make it to the Super Bowl. You can ask Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, who led the league with 4,918 passing yards. Or Jared Goff from the Detroit Lions, who threw for 39 touchdowns, the most in the league. Or even Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens, who had an impressive 119.6 passer rating, demonstrating exceptional efficiency.
The Baltimore Ravens had the best offense, with a league-leading average of 424.9 yards per game, while the Lions had the highest-scoring offense, averaging 35.3 points per game. On the other hand, the San Francisco 49ers posted a league-best defense, allowing only 276.4 yards per game. Yet they didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, either. The Buffalo Bills just narrowly lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo had the stingiest defense, giving up just 19.6 points per game. But they were beaten by the Chiefs, who lead the AFC with a 15-2 record.
Just as in football, supply chain is a team sport. Individual stars do not make the best supply chains, which are truly collaborative in nature. Only the best teams have the most efficient supply chains. The Super Bowl is an incredible sporting event requiring incredible planning and coordination. But it is also a logistical feat of epic proportions. Here are some behind-the-scenes facts that show the sheer scale of operations needed to pull off a Super Bowl.
It takes a caravan of trucks to transport everything needed for the game and halftime show. The actual playing field often travels on refrigerated trucks to ensure pristine condition. The halftime show stage, lighting, sound systems and props require dozens of trucks. Each team has its own gear, requiring dedicated trucks for transport. With millions of fans watching on TV, the food and drink supply chain is massive. Hundreds of trucks bring concessions to the site of the game itself, with enough hot dogs, burgers, popcorn and more to feed a small city. And in-person and remote viewers consume millions of gallons of beer, soda and water.
Logistical planning for the Super Bowl starts years in advance and involves coordination among the NFL, the host city, vendors and transportation providers. Technology plays a crucial role in managing the complex logistics, including transportation management systems for route optimization and tracking, warehouse management systems for efficient inventory management, and real-time visibility tools for monitoring shipments and ensuring on-time delivery. The NFL has increasingly focused on sustainability initiatives, including recycling, waste reduction and the use of renewable energy sources.
New Orleans is a great city, which people love to visit for yearly events like Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This year it is the host of the Super Bowl for the 11th time. This ties New Orleans with Miami for the most Super Bowl hosting gigs. The last time New Orleans hosted was in 2013 for Super Bowl XLVII. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in that game. The Caesars Superdome (formerly the Louisiana Superdome) will host its eighth Super Bowl, making it the stadium with the most Super Bowls under its belt.
New Orleans is a great and fun city, but it also faces multiple risks that pose challenges to the Super Bowl and its supply chain. New Orleans is prone to hurricanes and other natural disasters. It requires close monitoring of weather forecasts and having contingency plans in place for potential disruptions as well as developing and communicating clear evacuation plans in case of emergencies.
Other risks include terrorist threats – the attacks in New Orleans on New Year’s Day killed 14 and hurt 35 people – as well as security breaches, crowd-related incidents, and potential disruptions due to protests or civil unrest. It requires coordination of law enforcement, private security and cybersecurity experts to secure the safety of attendees, players and staff, while managing potential threats and disruptions. Cybersecurity measures are put in place to protect against cyberattacks that could disrupt event operations, compromise data or impact critical infrastructure.
This year’s Super Bowl will see the introduction of some new technologies, from enhanced cellular connectivity to advanced camera technology for broadcasting, as well as integrated security systems. Drones equipped with cameras and sensors will provide aerial surveillance and real-time situational awareness. Facial recognition technology will be used to enhance security and identify potential threats. Real-time monitoring of social media will help identify potential security risks and manage public safety. While not confirmed, it’s possible that AI and machine learning are being used behind the scenes to optimize logistics operations in real time for dynamic routing of delivery trucks based on traffic conditions, predictive modeling to anticipate potential bottlenecks and adjust resource allocation, and AI-powered security systems to detect and respond to potential threats.
Comparing the Super Bowl’s supply chain to that of a large manufacturing company reveals fascinating similarities and stark contrasts. Both involve intricate networks, but their scale, focus and challenges differ significantly. The Super Bowl requires planning and coordination, logistics and transportation, technology, and risk management just as modern-day supply chains of manufacturing companies. But the Super Bowl is a single event with a highly predictable demand that sees a massive surge in a short period and that relies on a diverse group of suppliers, making it highly complex. Its success is not measured by cost efficiency, but by fan satisfaction, safety and smooth execution.
Whether you are attending the Super Bowl in person or watching it with family and friends, enjoy this epic battle and let’s hope the event will not be impacted by hurricanes, floods, snowstorms or fires that have impacted much of the United States in recent weeks and months.
Look for more articles from me every week on FreightWaves.com.
Bart A. De Muynck
Strategic adviser