January Weather and the Pro Football Playoffs

Introduction

The pro football playoffs begin this weekend with six games over three days. Befitting of its status as America’s favorite sport, tens of millions of fans will follow the action on TV and other media. And, of course, a lucky few hundred thousand will have the privilege of attending a game in person.

Pro Football Playoff Security

Just as these playoff games are an ultimate test for the teams on the field, so too do they require stadium operations staff to bring their A-games. The operational challenges can start at the stadium front door, an area we’re very familiar with, because one of the defining characteristics of the football playoffs is the January weather. This season all six first-round games are being played in open-air stadiums. It will be cold in New England, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Chicago, and rain is in the forecast for Charlotte, NC. Only Jacksonville looks to avoid Mother Nature’s ire.

Weather’s Impact On Security

This can become an ops issue because foul weather means fans with bulky outerwear and cluttered clear bags, and this in turn can potentially make ingress security screening slow and difficult to manage. And while fans never like waiting in entry queues, they especially dislike it when the stakes are the highest, as they are in the playoffs.  It’s worse when foul weather can wreak havoc on security screening hardware. Teams need to be sure high winds don’t cause their systems to lose calibration and precipitation force placement under cover or in tents.

The good news for fans and teams this year is that all six first-round playoff venues have Evolv Express® systems in use, with five of the six in full-stadium deployments. Express can perform reliable and efficient security screening even through bulky coats, hats, and boots, while still differentiating threats from many benign everyday items like keys and phones.  What’s more, most Express hardware in the field today is ruggedized and designed to withstand January wind, snow, and rain.

At Evolv, we like to think that it’s no accident that our sports customer roster over-indexes for playoff teams (and, indeed, over the past few seasons for league champions as well).  After all, these teams tend to show the same passion for excellence on and off the field.

Summary

While January weather might affect this weekend’s playoff games, we don’t anticipate it will impact ingress screening. We’re grateful to have the opportunity to play a role in creating a great fan experience at such important events, and we wish all the teams and fans good luck. May the best teams win!