SBNation.com - Super Bowl 2013 pregame show: Variety takes the stagehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2013-02-03T18:33:40-05:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/37112772013-02-03T18:33:40-05:002013-02-03T18:33:40-05:00VIDEO: Alicia Keys' Super Bowl anthem
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<p>Alicia Keys sang the national anthem well at Super Bowl 47. She also sang it reallllllly slowly.</p> <p>Alicia Keys' run through the national anthem at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> 47 was certainly something, wasn't it? It was like the best piano recital of "The Star Spangled Banner" ever!</p>
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<strong>More</strong>: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3948742/sandy-hook-chorus-jennifer-hudson-america-the-beautiful-video" target="_blank">Watch Jennifer Hudson and the Sandy Hook Choir perform America the Beautiful</a>
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<p>Here's the video:</p>
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<p>Keys both sang the anthem and provided her own accompaniment on a white Yamaha piano at midfield on the Superdome turf, singing it relatively straight and without much bombast. There were no Christina Aguilera-esque moments of forgotten lyrics, and no major moments of vocal gymnastics, with <i>just</i> a <i>little</i> extra added on near the end, and a false ending on "home of the brave."</p>
<p>But the distinctive part was Keys' tempo: she sang the anthem very slowly, clocking in well over 2:30 -- two of SB Nation's stopwatches came up with 2:35 and 2:38. That's well over the 2:10 time set as the over/under for her rendition at Bovada, and well, well over the average for the last 10 years, in which most performers have failed to even eclipse 2:00.</p>
<p>No one's going to be talking about how great Keys' anthem was on Monday morning. If it does get mentioned, though, it'll be mentioned for its speed, or lack thereof.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3948796/alicia-keys-super-bowl-47-national-anthem-videoAndy Hutchins2013-02-03T18:29:39-05:002013-02-03T18:29:39-05:00Ravens win the Super Bowl coin toss
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<p>The Ravens won the coin toss in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday.</p> <p>As chance would have it, there were 50-50 odds the Baltimore Ravens would win the coin toss against the San Francisco 49ers to begin Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. When the toss fell, the Ravens won with a call of heads and elected to defer.</p>
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<strong>More: </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3948762/49ers-ravens-2013-super-bowl-xlvii-results-final-score/in/3712517">Super Bowl XLVII recap</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3948300/2013-super-bowl-xlvii-mvp">Flacco wins MVP</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3947594/super-bowl-xlvii-2013-new-orleans">Every New Orleans video ever made</a>
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<p>The coin toss odds were split evenly at -105 coming into the day -- obviously, a result of heads or tails is equally likely. But what isn't equal is the recent history of winning the coin toss.</p>
<p>Until the New England Patriots won the coin toss for the AFC last year, the NFC had won the coin toss 14 seasons in a row. <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Furthermore, a "heads" call has won the coin toss in the past four years.</span></p>
<p>More importantly, perhaps, is that the Papa John's-sponsored toss gave a number of lucky fans free pizza. Fans voted for heads or tails to win leading into the coin toss, and selecting the winning call netted them a free large pizza.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3947884/super-bowl-47-coin-toss-result-prop-betKevin Zimmerman2013-02-03T18:25:07-05:002013-02-03T18:25:07-05:00Alicia Keys hits the over!
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<p>Outside of the game itself, there are plenty of complementary things to add to the experience of Super Bowl Sunday. Here's now one of the most interesting annual Super Bowl prop bets, the length of the national anthem, turned out.</p> <p>Singer Alicia Keys was this year's honoree to perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in New Orleans. As they do every year, prop bets surrounded the big game, and particularly the length of the Star Spangled Banner.</p>
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<p>Alicia Keys National Anthem now down to 2:05 from opening line of 2:15. Crazy movement for something like that.</p>
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/298155497134120961">February 3, 2013</a>
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<p>Before kickoff, the multitalented Keys took centerfield to get things underway at the Superdome.</p>
<p>As Darren Rovell reported, the over/under was set at 2 minutes and 5 seconds. If I were a betting man, I may have taken the over considering Keys' ability to stretch the finale of the National Anthem with "free" and "brave." But the fact that the past two performers did not break two minutes wasn't encouraging.</p>
<p>In <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2012-super-bowl/2012/1/26/2735095/super-bowl-prop-bets-2012-national-anthem-kelly-clarkson">the past two years</a>, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera had lines set at 1:32 and 1:54, respectively. Keys wound up going 2:35, going over the opening line and way over the new, much lower line that moved down thanks to the money that was going on the under. I bet all of those people feel very silly, and books just went and cleaned up big time.</p>
<p>Did you have the over or the under?</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3948310/super-bowl-prop-bets-2013-national-anthem-alicia-keysDylan DeSimone2013-02-03T17:35:35-05:002013-02-03T17:35:35-05:00Macklemore leaves a mark
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<p>A 49ers fan asked Seattle rapper Macklemore for an autograph, so of course he obliged ... with a twist.</p> <p>Macklemore is Seattle born and raised, and also holds the No. 1 album on iTunes. He's a hot commodity at the moment, and even NFC West rival 49ers fans want his autograph. And who is he to say no?</p>
<p>He couldn't help himself...</p>
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<p>What'd you think I was gonna do?<a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23GoSeahawks">#GoSeahawks</a> <a title="http://instagr.am/p/VSOsrdQK9G/" href="http://t.co/RHKTFePv">instagr.am/p/VSOsrdQK9G/</a></p>
— Macklemore (@macklemore) <a href="https://twitter.com/macklemore/status/298193015267287042">February 3, 2013</a>
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https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3948628/macklemore-super-bowl-autographBrian Floyd2013-02-03T17:30:02-05:002013-02-03T17:30:02-05:00Super Bowl live blog
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<p>Touchdowns, commercials, popular musical acts that everyone at your party will enjoy ... we're going to hit all of it in SB Nation's Super Bowl live blog. We might even talk about football. </p> <p>
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<p>This it, America. This is the day you've been waiting for all year, kind of, maybe. The Super Bowl is finally here, and two weeks of incessant chatter all comes down the big game. We're going to capture each and every special moment, and the not so special moments, in our Super Bowl live blog. Bookmark us, follow along, and feel free to leave your questions, witty banter and more in the comments below.</p>
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<center> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl 2013 hub</a> | <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl-commercials">Super Bowl commercials</a> | <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl-recipes">Super Bowl recipes</a> | <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl-odds-prop-bets">Super Bowl prop bets</a> </center>
<p>San Francisco is favored, but Baltimore has beaten the odds more than once this season. The hallmark of both teams are stout, smart defenses, populated from front to back with Pro Bowl-caliber players. On the other side of the ball, the Niners and the Ravens do things a little differently. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made the pistol offense a household name this year, elevating what had been a fairly common college system to everyday vernacular of NFL fans. Joe Flacco, runs an offense harkening back to the Air Coryell systems of the last decade.</p>
<p>The list of stories go on and on from there, from Ray Lewis' last game to a pair of head coaching brothers vying for the biggest prize in the land.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3948472/super-bowl-2013-xlvii-ravens-vs-49ers-live-blogRyan Van Bibber2013-02-03T16:00:08-05:002013-02-03T16:00:08-05:00Alicia Keys takes on the national anthem
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<p>One of music's best-known belters, Alicia Keys, will be the opening act (of sorts) at Super Bowl 47, singing the national anthem before the game.</p> <p>When Alicia Keys steps to the mic to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl 47 on Sunday, she will be taking on one of the most prestigious and biggest challenges in music.</p>
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<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3948310/super-bowl-prop-bets-2013-national-anthem-alicia-keys" target="_blank">Update: Alicia Keys hit the over!</a>
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<p>Singing America's national anthem at the Super Bowl has been one of music's best opportunities since <a target="new" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE">Whitney Houston's stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl 25</a> in Tampa with the Gulf War as backdrop. Houston's version -- <a target="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_Spangled_Banner_(Whitney_Houston_song)#Lip-sync_controversy">a pre-recorded "protection copy"</a> played while Houston sang live into a dead microphone, similar to how Super Bowl 47 halftime singer Beyoncé's rendition of the national anthem at President Barack Obama's second inauguration was <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2013/1/31/3938528/beyonce-sings-national-anthem-video-super-bowl-press-conference">sung to a pre-recorded track</a> -- was widely acclaimed, and made the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 after being released as a single. (It would later enter the top 10 of that chart after a post-9/11 release, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.)</p>
<p>But the challenge for Keys is that every anthem since has been measured against Houston's perfectly-sung version, and not one has measured up. Most performers have merely compared unfavorably to the tremendous Whitney version, but Christina Aguilera's performance at Super Bowl 45 in Dallas was notably worse.</p>
<p>The singer who would become the centerpiece of NBC's <i>The Voice</i> <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2011-super-bowl/2011/2/6/1978913/christina-aguilera-superbowl-xlv-national-anthem-video">sang the wrong words</a>, replacing "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming" with "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last (inaudible)," essentially combining the anthem's second line ("What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming") with its fourth. She <a target="new" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj5NPNe3jNU">sang it well</a>, with several extra dollops of melisma and theatricality, but became a target of national jokes after her error on America's biggest stage.</p>
<p>Kelly Clarkson, performing at Super Bowl 46 last season in Indianapolis, did not make the same mistake.</p>
<p>Keys has a staggering record of accomplishment as an artist, with 14 Grammy wins and 27 total Grammy nominations to her credit, and has sold more than 30 million records since 2001's <i>Songs in A Minor, </i>which spawned "Fallin'," her early breakthrough. And she has performed at two Super Bowls before, singing "America the Beautiful" before Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville and singing a medley of her own material during the Super Bowl XLII pregame show. What she doesn't have is a long history of singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," with no evidence of her doing so on YouTube.</p>
<p>Still, if you're <a href="http://www.ninersnation.com/2013/1/26/3918834/super-bowl-prop-bets-2013-national-anthem-length-alicia-keys" target="_blank">betting on the length of the national anthem</a> -- one of many popular <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/search?q=Super+Bowl+prop+bets" target="_blank">Super Bowl 47 prop bets</a>, as few things are more American than wagering money, legally or illegally, on the Super Bowl -- you should probably pick the under. David Bamundo reported in <i>The Wall Street Journal </i>that the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324039504578263924010083486.html" target="_blank">Super Bowl national anthem hasn't been longer than two minutes</a> from "Oh" to "brave" since Jennifer Hudson stretched it to 2:10 for Super Bowl 43, and has only topped 2:00 three times in the last 10 renditions.</p>
<p>And if you want some Super Bowl trivia: Keys will be the sixth straight woman to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl, extending the longest streak of consecutive performances by one gender.</p>
<p>It's unlikely Keys' "The Star-Spangled Banner" will give anyone a reason to think she didn't belong at the mic singing it.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/3/3940966/2013-super-bowl-xlvii-national-anthem-alicia-keysAndy Hutchins2013-02-03T15:57:39-05:002013-02-03T15:57:39-05:00Let's watch All-22
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<figcaption>Chris Graythen</figcaption>
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<p>Watch the Super Bowl online this year, even if you have a television handy. The All-22 footage makes it worth it</p> <p>If you're unable to get to a television for the Super Bowl, or even if you are, there's a fantastic online option to watch the game courtesy of CBS. Yes, you can watch all the standard camera angles with the <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/superbowl/live/online" target="_blank">CBS Super Bowl live-stream</a>, but there's something even better in store this year. And it might be enough to entice you to fire up a computer at your party anyway.</p>
<p>For the football nerd, or anyone who wants to learn more about the game, CBS is showing an All-22 feed on its Super Bowl live-stream. This means you'll be able to see everything, not just the typical zoomed-in camerawork we typically watch on a broadcast. The latter means viewers are playing a game of follow the ball. The former -- the All-22 footage -- grants the ability to watch everything, everywhere, as it happens live.</p>
<p>This, friends, is a big step. All-22 footage is coveted because it allows viewers to see coverages, routes, and watch how the game unfolds and how schemes are implemented. It's a different element -- which may not be for everyone -- that adds value to the broadcast.</p>
<p>So pull up the All-22 footage on the Super Bowl live-stream and give it a shot. You might learn something new in the process.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3948072/watch-super-bowl-online-live-stream-link-cbs-all-22Brian Floyd2013-02-03T15:00:05-05:002013-02-03T15:00:05-05:00This is Steve Gleason's Super Bowl
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<p>You might've missed it in the run-up to the Super Bowl, but you really should be paying attention to the work Steve Gleason is doing.</p> <p>Of all the storylines swirling around as the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Super Bowl</a> gets set to begin, the best -- and most heartbreaking -- may be one that has nothing to do with the <a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Francisco 49ers</a> or <a href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Baltimore Ravens</a>. This is, in some ways, <span>Steve Gleason's</span> week, with the Super Bowl in his town and in the dome that he'll forever be a part of. His likeness is outside in statue form, capturing a moment that was more about city than sport -- the blocked punt that occurred in the first game back in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina forever immortalized.</p>
<p>I have a special admiration for Gleason, and not necessarily because of anything he's done on the field. He's one of "my guys" -- an alum of Washington State, where he was an undersized firecracker of a linebacker that easily endeared himself to fans. What he's doing now has little to do with football, but hopefully will have a long-lasting impact that goes well above and beyond the game.</p>
<p>By now, most know that Gleason has ALS. He was diagnosed just about two years ago after feeling some odd twitches. Doctors searched and searched for the root cause before coming back to him with the terminal diagnosis in 2011. To see him then and now is striking.</p>
<p>A year ago, much of the world was introduced to Gleason. Peter King's powerful feature on Gleason, ALS and the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Saints</a> ran during the pregame show, giving the story some much deserved publicity. If you haven't seen it, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2012-super-bowl/2012/2/5/2773680/steve-gleason-super-bowl-pregame-video-nbc" target="_blank">watch it again</a>.</p>
<p>It was at the end of the feature that Gleason's wife, Michel, broke down into tears, pleading for ALS to spare Steve's voice. The disease essentially leaves its victims trapped in their own heads, muscles deteriorating on the outside while the mind remains strong. Gleason was already speaking in labored tones -- a sign that his health continued to slide at a quick pace.</p>
<p>His voice is gone now, or at least gone in theory. Gleason is confined to a wheelchair, where he uses a computer to speak. But before he lost his voice, he recorded sounds and words in an effort to be able to speak in a way that was at least somewhat familiar and similar to how he had before. He's still getting used to the machine, and it takes time to train his eyes to letters while forming sentences, but Gleason keeps pushing along.</p>
<p>Gleason's story is heartbreaking, sure. But it's also pretty damn incredible. He was blindsided by a terminal diagnosis and decided to fight -- to do something about it. Of course, he lived life to its fullest before ALS took his motor skills, but at the same time Gleason has used his stature and status for good.</p>
<p>I know a hell of a lot more about ALS than I did two years ago, and it's all because of Gleason and his charity, <a href="http://www.teamgleason.org" target="_blank">Team Gleason</a>. That's important, and the first step towards maybe -- hopefully -- finding a cure. Or at least finding a way to prolong the lives of ALS patients while allowing them to, like Gleason, live life to its fullest.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/01/30/former-saint-steve-gleason-refuses-to-fade-away-quietly-despite-als/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Bruce Arthur wrote earlier this week</a>, after Steve Gleason Day in the media center, Gleason refuses to go quietly. That's not how he is, not how he's ever been.</p>
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<p>"Honestly, it makes you want to run away to the moon. I believe ALS research is underfunded and under-resourced. Many ALS patients end up fading away quietly and dying. For me, this was not OK. I did not want to fade away quietly."</p>
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<p>Gleason captivated the room, even as he struggled to perform functions most take for granted on a daily basis -- taking a sip of a drink, speaking, being able to move about freely. But when he speaks, it's worth stopping to listen. You'll come away with a greater appreciation for life, and you'll learn something in the process.</p>
<p>About a year and a half ago, before the effects of ALS truly took hold, Gleason visited Pullman again. He came on a football weekend and made the rounds on campus -- and exhausting and rewarding few days. Every player I spoke too called him an inspiration, praising his outlook on life and attitude. Like he did this week, Gleason held court in front of a small group of reporters, captivating them as he spoke.</p>
<p>This is what he does. This is what he'll continue to do until ALS becomes too much and he passes away. He will be loud and won't be slinking away from the spotlight, or from ALS. He's <a href="https://twitter.com/team_gleason/status/298136115846733825" target="_blank">going to make the lives of those dealing with ALS better</a> -- even if only for a few moments -- because that's how Gleason is.</p>
<p>If you take anything away from Super Bowl week in New Orleans, it should be the story of Steve Gleason, the battle he's fighting, and the cause he's raising awareness for. It's not <span>Ray Lewis</span>, <span>Colin Kaepernick</span>, or anything to do with the game. But it's important -- it's more than sports and a cause worth fighting for.</p>
<p>I don't know what the future holds for Gleason, but it's a scary future. In two years, most of his motor skills have faded, yet he's remained strong. He knows he has a limited time on this Earth and will continue to make the most of it.</p>
<p>And by the way, his humor is still completely intact. It's not going anywhere either.</p>
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<p>"What is most humbling, you ask," he said. "To be honest, having someone else wash my balls."</p>
<p>The room dissolved in laughter. Gleason smiled and locked his eyes on the keyboard as the laughter washed over him.</p>
<p>"Anything else?" he asked, and the laughter redoubled. Fujita decided he could stop it then and there.</p>
</blockquote>
https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/3/3947780/steve-gleason-als-super-bowl-2013Brian Floyd