Working at the Super Bowl

Now that I’ve experienced the Super Bowl firsthand, the words Game Day have a whole new meaning to me. It really means Game Week, awe and a whole lot of exhaustion.

Up until about a week and a half ago I was expecting to watch the game from home and avoid the Minneapolis area at all costs while the NFL and football fans from all over the world were in town. That all changed when my wife, also Andrea (yes, it’s true and yes, it gets confusing at times, but it definitely makes people chuckle and smile too), answered an ad calling for drivers. Her clients would be high-end affiliates of the sport and she’d be chauffeuring them from the airport, to their hotel, to the game, to autograph signings and wherever else the client wanted. 

On her first day on the job she was shuttling cars to the hotels where the players were staying. These cars were for the coaching staff to use throughout their stay. She even got to drive her company car, with the NFL logo on the door panel, home. Many honked, waved and treated her like a celebrity as they passed by in their cars on the roads. 

The longer the day went on and the more stories I heard, I decided I wanted in on the action. This got me excited about her job. The company she was driving for still needed greeters for a gig at the airport and more drivers. So, I decided to get in on the action and be a greeter at the airport, welcoming the likes of football greats and even a famous movie director.  

The fun and excitement of the experience was just starting to build. No exhaustion at that point.

The next day she had the pleasure of driving a Super-Bowl-ring-wearing quarterback to an autograph signing. Every now and then I’d receive a text from her saying how down to earth the client was and snippets of their conversation. This got me to thinking my brother, Steve, would enjoy driving too. The company still needed drivers, so I told him to check it out. A day later all of us were on board and official members of the Super Bowl workforce.

His experience started on Monday, while mine started on Tuesday. In the beginning he had the opportunity to interview for a special detail for the sponsors of the Halftime Show. Unfortunately it didn’t pan out, but he was told to not sweat it because the company was very picky. Even though that didn’t work out he did get another special assignment, which was to be the chauffeur for a very important football player. Steve stayed with this person from the time the plane landed until the plane took off again Monday morning. Needless to say, his experience went from awe to exhaustion pretty quickly. In barely a week, he put in over 100 hours either driving his client or waiting for his client to return to the vehicle. 

Andrea also was given a special assignment and loved it. Her client was very appreciative of all that she did for him. I barely saw her all week because he had her from sunup to well past sundown. By the time she made sure he made it safely to the airport on Monday, she couldn’t think straight. The lack of sleep had caught up to her and she was happy all the festivities were over. 

As for me, I had the opportunity to meet everyone at the airport and bring several to their specially designated vehicles. The first day I was a little star struck. Though, in all honesty, I didn’t know who a majority of the people were. Many were former or current football players. A few of the other greeters were telling me that earlier in the day, Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air arrived. They were excited to tell me all about the experience. 

It wasn’t until my second day being a greeter did it actually sink in that the Super Bowl was a big, no - HUGE - deal. I can’t say that I remember the last time the Super Bowl came to Minnesota. I was almost 10 at the time. But I don’t remember it being as massive and hyped as it was this year. 

Thursday and Friday were the busiest days at the airport. So many celebrities and executives were flying in from all parts of the country and even places like London and Sydney. It was non-stop action. The best was meeting and getting to know the other greeters and volunteers at the airport. It made each day go by so quickly, even though some of us were there from 7 in the morning to 11 at night. 

Looking back, I compare the experience to a train gathering speed on the track, where the first few days are slow and then full speed ahead. Or better yet, a very extravagant wedding with every bell, whistle, and guest imaginable attending. 

Either way, it was and is an experience I’ll never forget. And maybe one I’ll experience again in the future should we decided to pack our bags and work for the company in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII. In the meantime, it’s time for some well-deserved and needed rest.  

 

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