Super Bowl pregame show 2014: Times, TV schedule, live coverage and more

Football is America, and the Super Bowl is football ratcheted up to 12. So happy birthday America, or something. FOX, which is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year, is particularly keen to express its adoration for all things America, so what FOX gave America for its special day is ... NFL players reading the Declaration of Independence as NFL owners and other America-favoring personalities commented on the sacrifice of our brave soldiers at home and abroad.

As is the case with every broadcaster and sport, FOX and the NFL are in a partnership. What’s good for one is almost always good for both. So they each benefit from strengthening the bonds that fans (hardcore and casual alike) feel with the sport. Given that most Americans, y’know, already like America, selling football as the nectar of the nation is pretty crass. That FOX and the NFL are so skilled at weaving touching moments you can’t possibly dislike (like the Tillman statue shot) with the smarm is somehow worse -- criticize the exercise and you’re criticizing America. That is not at all true, but it doesn’t make doing so any less comfortable.

The FOX television network tried to have a little fun with a John Fox + “What Does The Fox Say” mashup. It was, well ...

Renée Fleming will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday night. And “Who is Renée Fleming?” is going to be a popular question at your Super Bowl party and on the Internet for some time after it.

The easy answer: Renée Fleming is a woman who can sing, and will be the first opera singer to ever sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Warning: It will be very hard not to be moved by her rendition of “Amazing Grace” performed at the World Trade Center in October 2001.

To view video of the Obama-O’Reilly interview, click here.

The last time they spoke during a pre-Super Bowl interview a wide variety of topics including unrest in Egypt and health care were discussed. Considering the topic of health care remains at the forefront of people’s minds, there’s a good chance questions will again be asked on the subject. There’s also the civil unrest in the Ukraine, which means the general topics for this interview could end up mirroring the scope of their 2011 discussion.

“I grabbed him, and hugged him and wouldn’t let him go,” Sapp said of his run-in Saturday night with Strahan. “I said, ‘please forgive me.”

Of course, viewers can catch the Super Bowl live at 6:25 p.m. ET on FOX. Leading up to kickoff, the station will have pre-game coverage beginning at 2 p.m. The pre-game show will begin in Times Square in Manhattan and wrap up at MetLife Stadium, making it the first-ever pre-game show to take place across two states.

At noon on Sunday, FOX will air “Road to the Super Bowl,” a special recapping the 2013 NFL season. At 1 p.m., the station will play another special, “Football America: Our Stories,” which features fans telling personal accounts of how football has affected their lives.

No Super Bowl pregame show is ever simple though. In addition to the football coverage, the FOX pregame show will mix in politics and music. President Obama will make an appearance at 4:30 p.m. in an interview with Bill O’Reilly. There will also be musical performances by Phillip Phillips and The Band Perry. The concert will be televised live as part of the NFL Tailgate Party. They won’t be the only entertainment though, as the casts of the musicals Jersey Boys and Rock of Ages are also scheduled to perform. The pregame show will lead up to kickoff, but before the ball is put in play, Renee Fleming will sing the national anthem.

In addition to the pregame show, FOX’s coverage before Super Bowl XLVIII will include the Road to the Super Bowl and Football America: Our Stories. The Road to the Super Bowl is typically one of the highlights of Super Bowl pregame coverage. The hour-long show produced by NFL Films recaps the best teams, plays and players from the season. That includes plenty of highlights and in-game mic’d up video.

In addition to their TV broadcast, FOX will be offering a free live stream of Super Bowl XLVIII through FOX Sports Go. While the platform typically requires an authentication from a cable provider, the network is suspending that requirement for its Super Bowl coverage and will allow any user to watch without having to sign in. The stream will be available online at FOXSports.com and for mobile users through the FOX Sports Go app.

FOX will not only stream the game itself, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET, but its pregame coverage as well. That begins at noon ET with a Road to the Super Bowl special, followed by Football America: Our Stories at 1 p.m. ET. The official pregame show will begin at 2 p.m. ET.

With each passing year, the Super Bowl seems like it becomes less and less about actual football. Sure, the game is still incredible, but it is surrounded by constant pomp and circumstance. This time around will certainly be no different, with the pregame show by FOX starting at 2 p.m. ET. for a game that begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.

During the pregame, there will be the normal hosts of FOX NFL Sunday with Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Straham and Curt Menafee. They will navigate the day and bring us a bevy of bits, including Bill O’Reilly sitting down with President Barack Obama at 4 p.m.

While he was not the unanimous MVP selection, Manning took home the trophy for the fifth time after shattering several records this season. His 55 touchdowns and 5,477 passing yards were both all-time NFL bests, and he also helped guide five players to double-digit touchdown seasons. That many players scoring 10 or more touchdowns is also an NFL record.

Former quarterback and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Broncos, John Elway, made five Super Bowl appearances and won his final two to cement his legacy. He would retire shortly after winning Super Bowl XXXIII and the game’s MVP award. On Sunday, Peyton Manning has an opportunity to win his second Super Bowl and establish his legacy even further, much like Elway did with his final two seasons.

Super Bowl XLVIII itself will start at 6:20 p.m. ET that Sunday, but there will be plenty of entertainment to tide you over until then. Here’s a list of the major activities and events scheduled for the week.

Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular: The N.Y./N.J. Super Bowl Host Committee begins the week with a star-studded concert at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. The show, which runs from 7:30-9 p.m. ET, will feature performances by Daughtry, The Fray and Goo Goo Dolls.