SAN FRANCISCO — The Super Bowl has become a week-long festival that engulfs its host city, but when that city is San Francisco, the footprint may be too large for its own good. Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara caps a week that highlighted the logistical challenges of holding the NFL’s premier event in a region where key venues are spread across 40 miles of notorious traffic.
The media center and NFL Fan Experience were in San Francisco, while the game itself took place in Santa Clara, 43 miles away. Teams were split between San Jose and Santa Clara. Opening Night was in San Jose, and the Pro Bowl remained in San Francisco. The result: hours spent on shuttles rather than covering the event.
But the inconvenience extends beyond the media. One fan pointed out that part of the Super Bowl’s magic is the feeling that everyone — players, coaches, and fans — is in the same place. That sense of convergence was lost when things were so spread out.
“There’s something special about attending a Super Bowl and knowing that while you are enjoying the football industrial complex of fan events that the players and coaches getting set to do battle are in the same place,” the fan said. “You might run into the team getting off the bus at the hotel or on their way to practice. You might see a coach grabbing coffee in the morning. It probably won’t happen, but that feeling of everyone converging in one place is one of many things that make the week unique.”
In contrast, the past two Super Bowls in Las Vegas and New Orleans were walkable, with everything in close proximity. Even when teams stayed off the Strip in Las Vegas, they were in town daily for practices and appearances.
San Francisco itself remains an amazing city, despite issues with homelessness and opioids that proved less severe than some had predicted. And yes, it’s expensive — but so are most big cities. The problem is not San Francisco but the geography: Levi’s Stadium is 43 miles from the city center, and the region’s traffic is among the worst in the nation.
The NFL did a tremendous job mitigating logistical challenges, but the buzz was missing. It’s time to limit the Super Bowl rotation to cities where everything is walkable. Las Vegas should get another soon. New Orleans deserves it. Nashville will soon be in the mix, and Atlanta is great. Indianapolis, with its walkability and hospitality, could return.
This isn’t about whining — it’s about the fan experience. And there was plenty of time on shuttles to get cranky.
