If sports is supposed to be a distraction from serious and divisive topics such as politics, one would imagine that mixing political news into the biggest sports day on the calendar would be an incredibly unwise thing to do.
Unfortunately for sports fans, unwise moves are a staple of FOX News, FOX Entertainment and FOX Sports. And Super Bowl Sunday will feature a nightmarish mix of the three.
FOX will air a three-hour political pregame at 9:00 AM on Super Bowl Sunday. FOX News hosts Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace will preside over an election special called FOX Super Sunday, which will take place at the site of the Super Bowl. The show will begin with Wallace’s weekly program FOX News Sunday, before Smith hosts a two-hour long mixture of political and Super Bowl news.
“Drawing from the best resources on national and local platforms, Fox will bring together America?s two greatest passions?politics and football,” FOX News producer Marty Ryan said in a statement.
As if adding FOX News to the Super Bowl line-up was not a strained enough partnership, the hit FOX reality show American Idol will make its presence felt as well.
Ryan Seacrest will host entertainment segments during the Super Bowl pregame, focusing on the celebrities arriving at the game. FOX Sports Chairman David Hill rationalizes that “more and more celebrities are showing up at Super Bowls, and they’re being ignored. … The trials and tribulations of Paris Hilton and Lohan seem to take up more (news) space than what’s happening in Iraq, so obviously there a consumer demand for it. With Ryan, we’re doing our job.”
In addition to Seacrest, former Los Angeles Lakers dancer and Idol judge Paula Abdul will send viewers flocking to other networks when she performs at some point during the telecast. Abdul will not be the only Idol participant singing at the game; Jordin Sparks will perform the national anthem.
No word on whether or not Peter Griffin will perform the coin toss.
