With Favorite Team In Town, Chatham Resident Works For Super Bowl’s Transportation Provider

SAN FRANCISCO – Whether the New England Patriots reached it or not, Sam Johnson was always headed for Super Bowl LX.

Johnson, a Chatham native who serves as the director of operations for Main Street mainstay Mahi Gold, also does contract work for Metropolis, the company that organizes transportation services for the National Football League’s championship game. Johnson is specifically involved with sponsors, facilitating the transportation for their plans of dinners, media day and other special events throughout the week. He had been to previous Super Bowls.

In the days leading up to and during the big game, it was Johnson and his colleagues’ job to ensure people got where they wanted and needed to go. Last Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks (Johnson’s fifth Super Bowl), however, was the first of those work trips involving his favorite football team. 

That made the stay in the Bay Area particularly special and especially exciting for Johnson, a big-time Pats fan. But he had to maintain a professional mien. He asked his co-workers who are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs (appearances in the three previous Super Bowls prior to 2026) and the Philadelphia Eagles (appearances in two of the three previous) for advice.

“I already told them, I was like, ‘Listen, I'm going to need you to walk me through this emotional roller coaster as we go through this week,’” Johnson said.

Even while the Patriots and Seahawks played, Johnson worked (some people, believe it or not, leave the Super Bowl early, putting Metropolis workers back in action to secure their transportation). Not being able to catch the game in full may have turned out to be a good thing for Johnson in the case of Super Bowl LX. The Patriots lost, 29-13.

Johnson was an athlete growing up in Chatham and knew he wanted a career in sports. He earned a master’s in sport management at the University of Florida, then stayed in the state to work as an event specialist for Disney. He returned to New England to become an event manager at Gillette Stadium, the home of the Patriots. 

Eventually, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a switch-up. Johnson departed the role in Foxborough and started helping with his family’s business, Christmas Joy, the Chatham store his parents have owned for almost 25 years. He also began at Mahi Gold. 

“But at the same time, I still had the love and passion for the event space,” Johnson said.

Super Bowl LVI (in 2022) was Johnson’s first doing contract work with Metropolis. The Los Angeles Rams won the game on their home field of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

“That was a really super challenge my first year, dealing with people celebrating downtown, and now we're trying to get our people back safely,” Johnson said.

The year after that was Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix (or really, Glendale). Then there was Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII and Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.

“Each city is its own beast,” Johnson said.

Some of Johnson’s colleagues recalled when San Francisco hosted Super Bowl 50 10 years earlier. They knew it’d be a challenge. With the spread-out nature of the Bay Area, people stay in downtown San Francisco and take trips to Napa Valley. The NFL hosts media day in San Jose. The actual game was played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, an hour away from San Francisco.

Johnson flew in the Tuesday before Super Bowl week and stayed through the Tuesday after the game. He was joined, in fact, by his wife Lexi Johnson, who also works for Metropolis. Johnson’s team came out in advance to put their transportation plan in place, working with local city officials and determining which roads can and can’t be used, planning the routes and making sure the timelines match up. 

“It seems simple, but there's so many little intricacies that just keep you very, very busy,” Johnson said.

For instance, huge coach buses can’t go on certain streets, and the hills of San Francisco made for a unique set of obstacles this year. Then there’s the whole aspect of needing to stay focused while working hard in the same city where your favorite football team is about to play the Super Bowl.

“I would say it's been my most challenging, but in a good way,” Johnson said. “That's what we sign up for, and that's what we enjoy, and that's what I like about it. It's a giant puzzle.”