The NFL season is barely a week old, but the chorus of criticism is already deafening: NBC should bench Carrie Underwood from its Sunday Night Football opening.
Underwood has been the voice of the iconic intro for 13 straight seasons, taking over from Faith Hill and making “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” her own. NBC confirmed in August that she’d return for the 2026 campaign, but one primetime game later, the public is pushing back hard.
The backlash ignited during Wednesday night’s season opener between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. NFL content creator Lindsey Ok took to social media to voice what many were thinking: “It’s time to retire the Carrie Underwood theme song I’m sorry.”
That sentiment spread like wildfire across X, with fans piling on and demanding a change. “Bring back Faith Hill,” one user wrote. Another suggested a pop pivot: “Should be Sabrina Carpenter instead.” A third simply declared the song “years past the expiration date.”
NBC, however, appears to be all in on Underwood. In a statement, Tripp Dixon of NBC Sports explained the creative direction: “This season, we’ve drawn inspiration from Carrie’s deep, well-documented love of rock music – a perfect fit since our Sunday Night Football anthem was born from pure rock ‘n’ roll: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You.’” He added, “We’ve worked to match these two rock frequencies of past and present as they come together in Carrie’s high-energy performance. The greatest players and teams in the NFL will take it from there.”
Yet the fan reaction suggests that NBC’s rock-infused vision may be missing the mark. The criticism comes amid a broader shakeup in NFL broadcast entertainment, with Jimmy Fallon recently joining the Sunday Night Football lineup to mixed reviews.
This isn’t the first time NBC has faced anthem-related scrutiny. The network previously overhauled its Monday Night Football soundtrack under a new partnership with Apple Music, signaling a willingness to modernize. But for now, Underwood remains the face (and voice) of Sunday nights.
Whether NBC listens to the growing calls for a fresh voice is anyone’s guess. With a 15th season potentially on the line, the network must decide if it’s time to pass the mic or double down on its country superstar.
