Underwood’s updated “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” opening is designed to lean into rock energy. The early response shows that even a polished TV ritual can spark a bigger argument about familiarity, fatigue and who gets to define game-day tradition.
Carrie Underwood wears leather shorts in a Sunday Night Football promo as she returns for her 14th consecutive season singing NBC’s “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.” The new promotional appearance has also prompted some Sunday Night Football fans to call on NBC to replace her, reviving a debate about the long-running opening before the new version is set to debut Sept. 13.
Underwood’s black leather shorts, teal mesh top, embellished blazer and sequined boots are getting attention, but the sharpest reaction is not really about fashion. It is about whether an opening built around one of country music’s biggest stars still feels like a signature tradition or a piece of football TV that has run its course.
Another season, another reset
NBC has kept Underwood at the center of its Sunday night kickoff for more than a decade. Her return marks a 14th straight season performing “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” the football-themed reworking of Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Lovin’ You.”
The network is not presenting this as a simple replay. According to NBC’s description of the new opening, the arrangement has been refreshed and the production places more emphasis on the song’s rock-and-roll roots.
Underwood said she loves the new version and called it one of her favorite opens. She also credited Tripp Dixon and the production team with giving the piece a new visual identity.
That is an important distinction in the fan debate: NBC is trying to update the package without abandoning its most recognizable element. For viewers who want a wholesale change, however, a new arrangement may not answer the larger complaint.
The look matches NBC’s rock pitch
The promo’s wardrobe is deliberately high-gloss and rock-leaning. Underwood appears in black leather shorts, a sheer teal mesh top and a sparkling teal-and-black blazer, completed with knee-high black boots decorated with silver sequins.
The styling is consistent with the network’s stated effort to push the opening closer to the attitude of its Joan Jett source material. It also fits Underwood’s long-established stage persona, which has often mixed country polish with arena-rock scale.
NBC has said the visual treatment will grow from an intimate club setting to a large football stadium. That progression is a familiar piece of sports-TV language: begin with the performer, then widen the frame until the game feels like a major event.
For some fans, the presentation is exactly the point. A Sunday night opener is not meant to be subtle; it is a weekly ceremonial burst of noise, glamour and anticipation before the broadcast turns to football.
Why some viewers want change
The online reaction cited in reporting on the promo includes people saying they are tired of hearing Underwood each season, asking for other artists and, in a few cases, directly urging NBC to replace her. One commenter argued there was no need for a musical opening at all.
Those posts should not be mistaken for a scientific measure of the full audience. Social-media comments tend to amplify strong preferences, and a handful of critical remarks cannot establish that most Sunday Night Football viewers want a new singer.
Still, the comments point to a real tension that long-running broadcast brands face. Familiarity can become comfort for one group and repetition for another. The longer a face or song remains attached to a franchise, the more any resistance becomes a referendum on the tradition itself.
One commenter also tied their objection to Underwood’s perceived political views. That is a personal claim in the online discussion, not evidence that NBC is weighing a personnel decision, and it illustrates how entertainment reactions can quickly become broader culture-war arguments.
A TV tradition with real value
From NBC’s perspective, keeping Underwood has a clear practical upside. The opening is instantly identifiable, and her voice has become part of the Sunday Night Football brand in the same way theme music, graphics and familiar announcers become part of a viewer’s weekly routine.
There is also a difference between a recurring artist and a stagnant production. NBC’s annual changes in staging, arrangement and visual concepts give the network a way to preserve continuity while still marketing each season as new.
That approach can be especially useful for a sports property. The teams, story lines and results change weekly, while the broadcast needs a dependable emotional on-ramp that tells viewers they are watching a marquee game.
Supporters of Underwood’s return may see the criticism as evidence that the opening remains culturally visible. A feature nobody notices rarely generates either affectionate loyalty or demands for replacement.
The debut will test the reaction
The new opening is scheduled to premiere Sept. 13 during the Sunday Night Football season opener featuring the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. That broadcast will give viewers a fuller look than a short promotional clip can provide.
What remains unclear is whether the early criticism reflects a durable viewer mood or the normal churn around a highly shared celebrity post. NBC has promoted a refreshed arrangement and bigger visuals, but there is no indication in the available reporting that the network plans to replace Underwood.
The more likely near-term outcome is a familiar one for sports television: some viewers will mute the opening, some will sing along, and many will simply wait for kickoff. Yet the response underscores why NBC keeps revisiting the presentation. Even its most established traditions have to keep making the case that they belong in the next season.
The larger question behind the comments
The leather-shorts promo may be the immediate conversation starter, but the lasting issue is creative rotation. Should a major sports broadcast protect a recognizable ritual for as long as it works, or periodically hand the stage to new artists in order to prevent fatigue?
There is no single answer because the audience is not one audience. Some viewers value continuity, others want surprise, and others would prefer the game begin without a performance at all. NBC’s updated Underwood opening attempts to satisfy the first two groups at once.
For now, Underwood remains the voice of Sunday Night Football. The debate around her return says less about one outfit than about the difficult balance between brand recognition and reinvention on one of television’s most visible weekly stages.
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