The NFL yesterday confirmed the worst kept secret in music and football. Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band will in fact perform at next year's Super Bowl in Tampa Bay during the halftime show.

The announcement was made during the Sunday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles by announcer Bob Costas. The Super Bowl game will be telecast nationally on February 1.

Last month, when news of the NFL getting Springsteen leaked out and spread like wildfire across the internet, the NFL quickly denied the story. Since virtually nobody bought the denials, they apparently decided to fess up yesterday.

Rock's uppermost tier of superstars have increasingly lined up to play the event in recent years, which is traditionally the single most watched show on televison each year. Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, U2, Prince, and Tom Petty are among the artists who have played the halftime show. Most famously, Janet Jackson had her "wardrobe malfunction" which introduced the world to the scandal known as "Nipplegate." Insiders have long known that the NFL has coveted the services of Springsteen for it's biggest show of the year.

Springsteen recently completed a year long world tour in support of the album Magic with the E Street Band. Rumored next projects for "The Boss" include a DVD from that tour and a 30th anniversary deluxe edition of the 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Sunday's Super Bowl announcement was accompanied by live clips from the Magic tour which would seem to lend some support to the live DVD release.

Most recently, Springsteen contributed the title track to Mickey Rourke's new film, The Wrestler.