In a historic first, Super Bowl LVI falls amid the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Both sporting events are being covered by NBC in what the network is marketing as “Super Gold Sunday.” So which will the network air?
NBC Sports reported the Winter Olympics have happened in February since the 1968 Grenoble Games. However, this is the earliest kickoff for the games since 1972.
Meanwhile, the NFL introduced a 17-game season for each team which led to the Super Bowl being pushed to the second Sunday of February for the first time.
NBC will split coverage as the Los Angeles Rams are set to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on February 13, 2022. The kick-off is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Here is what you need to know:
NBC Made a Deal to Cover the Super Bowl in 2022
Coverage of the Super Bowl rotates between FOX, CBS and NBC, but in 2019 the latter two struck a deal so NBC could cover the big game in 2022. As a result, CBS aired Super Bowl LV in 2021 which saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
NBC will cover the Olympics from 8 a.m. through 12 p.m. Eastern time, at which point it will switch over to pre-game coverage of the Super Bowl. According to USA Today, once the Lombardi trophy has been awarded, the news will revert to Beijing coverage. NBC is estimating that to be around 10:45 p.m. Eastern time.
Mike Tirico has been covering the 2022 Beijing Games but flew back to the United States to cover the Super Bowl. He will continue his remaining Olympics coverage from Connecticut.
“Without question, the Super Bowl is the biggest event in America and without question, the Olympics are the biggest sporting event in the world,” he told USA Today. “The chance to do both once in a career is beyond belief and beyond dreams.”
For the first time since 1992, the Super Bowl will not be followed by an entertainment program. Super Bowl XXVI was followed by a “60 Minutes” interview with then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary following claims of an affair, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
5 Sports Will Overlap with Super Bowl Coverage
According to NBC Sports, the following Olympic events occur during the 2022 Super Bowl broadcast.
- Bobsled
Women’s monobob, Heat 3: 8:30 p.m.-9:15 p.m. Eastern time.
Women’s monobob, Heat 4: 10 p.m.-10:50 p.m. Eastern time. (medal event) - Curling
Women’s round robin, Session 7: 8:05 p.m.-11 p.m. Eastern time. - Freestyle skiing
Women’s freeski slopestyle, Final Run 1: 8:30 p.m.-8:55 p.m. Eastern time.
Women’s freeski slopestyle, Final Run 2: 8:57 p.m.-9:22 p.m. Eastern time.
Women’s freeski slopestyle, Final Run 3: 9:24 p.m.-9:49 p.m. Eastern time. (medal will be awarded following Run 3) - Figure skating
Ice dance, Free dance: 8:22 p.m.-11:36 p.m. Eastern time. (medal event) - Snowboarding
Women’s big air, Qualification Run 1: 8:30 p.m.-9:14 p.m. Eastern time.
Women’s big air, Qualification Run 2: 9:15 p.m.-9:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Women’s big air, Qualification Run 3: 10 p.m.-10:45 p.m. Eastern time.
If there are any weather delays or if the big game runs long, hockey could also overlap with the Super Bowl. NBC Sports reports the women’s semifinals begin at 11:10 p.m. Eastern time.
Both the Olympics and the Super Bowl can be streamed on Peacock.
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Are the Winter Olympics Interrupted by the 2022 Super Bowl?