Carrie Underwood has spent fourteen seasons singing the NFL’s Sunday Night Football theme song, and she is still doing what she does best: making it sound like a rock anthem. The country star opened the 14th season of the NFL on NBC on Sunday night with her latest version of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” a song based on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1988 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”
This year, Underwood leaned into the rock side of the song. She performed in a small club, a vast stadium, and a recording studio for the opening video. SNF’s creative director Tripp Dixon said the theme was inspired by “Carrie’s deep, well-documented love of rock music.” Underwood agreed, calling the video a chance to bring football into her “ongoing rock star fever dream.”
Underwood’s Rock History
For years, Underwood has treated her concert crowds to renditions of hard rock tracks. She has covered Motörhead and Skid Row, opened for Guns N’ Roses, and appeared alongside Axl Rose on more than one occasion. This month, she performed her version of nu-metal standards from Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Papa Roach during her set at Velocity Fest in Iowa.
The live evidence supports the claim about Dixon’s influence on Underwood. For years, the singer has treated her shows as a stage for rock music, spanning classic hard rock to modern metal.
The First Game
Sunday Night Football’s first game was between NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Underwood shouted out both teams in her weekly changing lyrics. Both teams featured in Rolling Stone‘s 2026 NFL Preview, which asked artists from Michael Bublé to Melissa Etheridge to preview their favorite team’s season.
Underwood joins a long list of artists who have offered their take on what’s next, as the preview makes clear.
The Song’s Roots
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts put out “I Hate Myself for Loving You” in 1988, and it became a hit on the radio. Underwood’s take on it keeps the song’s drive while putting her own stamp on it.
The song has been part of Sunday Night Football’s identity since the show’s early years, and Underwood has returned to it repeatedly over her fourteen seasons with the broadcast.
The Video
A short film opens with Underwood performing in a small club, a huge stadium, and a recording studio. Dixon explained that the concept originated from Underwood’s recorded fondness for rock music.
Underwood described the video as a way to bring football into her “ongoing rock star fever dream.”
What the Source Reports
Here is what the source reports:
- 14th season of Sunday Night Football
- Theme song: “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night”
- Based on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1988 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You”
- Opening video filmed in a small club, a vast stadium, and a recording studio
- First game: between NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants
A Short List of Underwood’s Rock History
- Covered Motörhead and Skid Row at her concerts
- Opened for Guns N’ Roses
- Shared the stage with Axl Rose more than once
- Put her own spin on Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Papa Roach at Velocity Fest in Iowa
Three distinct rock performances make up the video, each setting its own mood, and Underwood has claimed Dixon’s song as her own once more. Dixon’s influence can be seen throughout, on display for viewers across the country.
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