Why NFL Fans Were Nearly Stripped of Carrie Underwood’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ Anthem

Carrie Underwood has been the face of Sunday Night Football since 2013. Her theme song “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” has joined the ranks of tailgating and cold beer as hallmarks of football season. On Sunday (Sept. 8) the American Idol season 4 champion kicks off her 12th straight season of welcoming NFL enthusiasts back to the gridiron. Although it’s now impossible to imagine Sunday evenings without Carrie Underwood, there was a time when the “Blown Away” singer didn’t want the job.

Carrie Underwood Was NFL Executive Producer’s First Choice

Sunday Night Football came to NFL fans’ screens in 2006. At the time, Carrie Underwood was just a year removed from one of the most lopsided American Idol victories in the show’s three-year history. With Idol’s popularity soaring, it’s easy to see why Fred Gaudelli wanted Underwood for the job.

Gaudelli, executive producer of NBC’s NFL coverage, reached out to the “Ghost Story” singer about taking the gig. However, Underwood “wasn’t really interested,” he told Yahoo Sports.

“At that time in my life there was so much going on,” said the multi GRAMMY-winning artist. “It wasn’t the right time.”

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The History Of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night”

Instead, the job went to Pink, who became the first to perform the Joan Jett-inspired “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.” Faith Hill took over the next year when the “Who Knew” singer had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.

Hill opened the program for six years before the country star felt she had run her course. “She said, ‘I think it’d be better if you kind of change horses,’” Gaudelli said.

[RELATED: Joan Jett, P!nk, Faith Hill, and the Evolution of Carrie Underwood’s “Waiting All Day” Sunday Night Football Theme Song]

So he gave Carrie Underwood another call. “I said, ‘Look, we’re the No. 1 show in primetime television. This is going to air in front of 20 million people plus every single week,’” Gaudelli said.

He continued, “I showed her the demographic breakdown, and once that was done, she’s like, ‘You know what? You’re right. We should do this.’ And that began a now 12-year run.”

Social media was abuzz Sunday (Sept. 8) as NFL fans anticipated Underwood’s return. “I just wanna hear Carrie Underwood sing the Sunday night football theme song,” wrote one X/Twitter user.

Featured image by Daniel DeSlover/Shutterstock