In a departure from decades-long tradition, President Joe Biden has chosen not to participate in an interview during the pre-game festivities leading up to Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, according to CBS News. This marks the second consecutive year that President Biden has turned down the opportunity to engage in a conversation that typically draws an audience of tens of millions, even in the hours before kickoff.

The Paramount Global news operation had been in talks with the White House in recent weeks, extending an invitation to President Biden to take part in the traditional exchange. However, details about which correspondent might have been selected for the assignment were not disclosed.

The decision not to participate in the Super Bowl interview may be seen as intriguing, especially as candidates are gearing up for the 2024 presidential election. Viewers may have been curious to hear President Biden's thoughts on recent U.S. strikes on Iranian forces, the Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump, or his preferred team between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

White House spokesman Ben LaBolt commented on the matter, saying, "We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned in for - the game." Nevertheless, the decision raises questions, particularly considering President Biden's relatively positive relationship with CBS News. He has previously engaged in conversations with Norah O'Donnell and Scott Pelley and has granted brief exchanges to Robert Costa and Ed O'Keefe.

Since President Barack Obama started the tradition in 2009, a pre-game Super Bowl interview with the President has become a customary element of the broadcast. President Obama conducted live interviews with a range of journalists from various networks, including CBS' Pelley and Gayle King, NBC's Matt Lauer, and Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly.

Some Presidents have chosen to forgo this opportunity in the past. In 2018, President Trump declined a sit-down interview with NBC News and anchor Lester Holt, reportedly to avoid discussing his criticism of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest social injustice in the United States.

The Super Bowl interview has always been a coveted opportunity for networks, generating headlines for several days and dominating discussions on nightly news and morning programs. However, navigating such conversations can be challenging, particularly if they are broadcast live. Savannah Guthrie, who interviewed President Obama in 2015, described it as "really tricky," emphasizing the need to strike the right balance and ask important questions while considering the context of the Super Bowl day, where politics may not be at the forefront of everyone's minds.

As the upcoming Super Bowl approaches, the absence of a presidential interview may mark the end of a long-standing tradition, leaving viewers solely focused on the game itself.