• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 17, 2007

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest will play a role in the broadcast of perhaps the preeminent American sports event--the Super Bowl. Seacrest will join the regular Fox NFL studio team--Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and others--in a bid to give the pre-game coverage a broader appeal. He will serve as "entertainment host."

While networks often use the big game to promote their shows and stars to millions--"Jimmy Kimmel Live" debuted after the game in 2003--giving a non-sports luminary a prime spot on a show allegedly aimed at previewing the on-field action may carry a risk. The Super Bowl is a sports touchstone, and an entertainer on the lead-up-to-kickoff coverage could be a turnoff to hard-core fans, arguably the most likely to sit through hours of pre-game appetizers.

It's also quizzical, since the new season of the popular "Idol" will surely have launched before the Feb. 3 game, with wind at its back--if it needs it--from a barrage of promotion during the college football championship series and other top-notch NFL games.

Still, Seacrest is a bona-fide star and Fox network linchpin. And in fairness, Fox's studio show is not ESPN: It doesn't take itself too seriously, and has used stunts such as Jillian Barberie providing weather info and comedian Frank Caliendo.

"The plan is to utilize Seacrest's expertise to wrap the entertainment portions of the program, and to interview the numerous celebrities who annually attend the grandest spectacle of American sport," said Fox. "The gridiron fare will, of course, be thoroughly covered by Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson." "The Super Bowl has grown to become a landmark holiday on the American calendar, attracting not only the sports world, but the biggest stars in music and entertainment," said Fox Sports chief David Hill. "Naturally, we'd like our broadcast to reflect that growth, so we've expanded our pre-game lineup beyond the realm of sports."