From the first time it aired on Sunday Night Football last September, Carrie Underwood’s “Game On” has sparked conversation. Viewers have debated whether the song is an improvement or downgrade of Underwood’s “Oh, Sunday Night,” which played on SNF from 2014 to 2018 and which many viewers thought sounded much like Underwood and Miranda Lambert’s duet "Somethin' Bad.”
Choice of song is an important part of SNF. The opening music sets the tone for the broadcast and helps to attract—and keep—viewers. Along those lines, NBC is heavily invested in its relationship with the NFL and the exclusive right to broadcast the weekly NFL game scheduled on Sunday nights.