There is no bigger event in America than the Super Bowl. The game began in January 1967 as a curiosity and has morphed into a virtual national holiday, with hundreds of millions -- both in the United States and around the world -- tuning in for the contest.
However, there is also a litany of action leading up to the game, which begins at 6:40 p.m. ET. Multiple networks will have pregame programming and features about anything ranging from actual football strategy to more lighthearted topics.
Over at NFL Network, we get comprehensive coverage beginning at 7 a.m. ET. NFL Gameday First comes on the air with Melissa Stark, Shaun O'Hara and Sterling Sharpe giving us the news along with analysis, before NFL Gameday Morning goes live at 9 a.m. ET. The panel is extensive, with host Rich Eisen and analysts Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk.
NBC, which will televise the main event, has the most complete coverage, with a litany personalities making appearances throughout the day. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will be part of the cast, along with Bob Costas, Rodney Harrison, Dan Patrick and Tony Dungy. Harbaugh and Dungy are expected to lead a "Coach's Clicker" segment that features film analysis and will also include a discussion about DeflateGate.
Among the others who will check in live from Arizona are Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, MMQB's Peter King, Liam McHugh, Josh Elliott, Carolyn Manno, Hines Ward, Randy Moss and Doug Flutie. The Super Bowl announcers -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya -- will also be involved, per Sports Illustrated.
Much of the attention of the pregame show will revolve around an interview of President Barack Obama conducted by Savannah Guthrie of the Today Show. The segment, which has become a tradition of sorts in recent years, is expected to air around 4 p.m. ET.
Providing official tailgate coverage for NBC will be the Olympic figure skating duo of Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, who will be interviewing celebrities taking in the pregame festivities. The unlikely setting for the pair isn't too surprising considering the success they had together as commentators during the 2014 Winter Olympics and their role as correspondents at the Kentucky Derby. The Olympics, along with NASCAR and soccer, will be among the non-football topics on slate.
At the NFL Tailgate party will be musical performances from Dierks Bentley and Gavin DeGraw, which will be aired during the pregame. Bentley is an Arizona native and a country music star, coming off a top-selling album, RISER. DeGraw has a platinum album to his credit and has been nominated for a Grammy Award. DeGraw also had a top-10 album with his self-titled album in 2008.
Other expected highlights of the NBC pregame show are one-minute vignettes on the hometowns and upbringings of Tom Brady, Jamie Collins and Patrick Chung of the Patriots, as well as Russell Wilson, Earl Thomas and Jon Ryan of the Seahawks. Dude Perfect will have a trick-shot video featuring Odell Beckham Jr. and Hines Ward debuting, and NBC will have a review of some of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history.
A four-hour pregame show on ESPN is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET and will feature the usual NFL Countdown cast of characters, including Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson, among others.
Below is how you can keep track of all the pregame entertainment:
Date
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
Location
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Coverage Schedule by Network
NBC
Together We Make Football: 12 to 1 p.m.
Super Bowl pregame show: 1 to 6 p.m.
Online: NBCSports.com
NFL Network
NFL GameDay First: 7 to 9 a.m.
NFL Gameday Morning: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sound FX: Sounds of the 2014 season: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Online: NFL.com
ESPN
Postseason NFL Countdown: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Online: WatchESPN