Game a family affair for Jordin Sparks

02/04/2008 5:00 AM, AP
Nekesa Mumbi Moody

Jordin Sparks probably couldn't have picked a better set of circumstances for her first Super Bowl.

First off, the "American Idol" champ was selected to sing the national anthem. Then, her favorite team, the New York Giants — and the former team of her retired football player dad, Phillippi Sparks — was playing in the big game. Finally, the game was held at the University of Phoenix stadium — just a few miles away from her home.

"When they approached me to sing at the Super Bowl, I was like, 'Yeah I want to sing at the Super Bowl — are you crazy?'" Sparks said as she got glammed up for her performance Sunday. "I'm very very very happy."

And that was before her dad's old team stunned the New England Patriots 17-14.

"You couldn't ask for a more fitting story," said Phillippi Sparks, who retired from the Giants in 2001. "How could it have been better aligned?"

Jordin Sparks, 18, had her family nearby as she got ready. Her father offered encouragement, and her mom Jodi lent her the jewelry she wore wear with her Dolce & Gabbana sleeveless dress. Her grandparents helped get her clothes together, and her younger brother kept her company.

"Growing up around (my dad) was really cool," said Sparks. "I became a huge (football) freak ... I have always wished that I could have played and I can't."