Carrie Underwood will return as the voice of NBC’s «Sunday Night Football» for a 14th consecutive season, keeping the country music star at the center of the NFL’s most-watched prime-time broadcast when the new season begins in September.
The return was one of the standout stories in a sports and culture roundup that also focused on WNBA star Angel Reese’s Barbie-themed night with the Atlanta Dream and the annual ritual of NFL wives and girlfriends sending their partners off to training camp.
Underwood has become a signature part of the Sunday night program, and NBC is keeping that familiar opening in place for the upcoming season. The prime-time schedule gives the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs three appearances apiece this season. The Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Raiders, meanwhile, will not be featured on Sunday night, meaning their fans will not hear Underwood’s opening theme on game nights this year.
At State Farm Arena, the Atlanta Dream hosted a Barbie-themed night tied to Reese, whose current projects include a special-edition Barbie doll and a line of pink Reebok shoes inspired by her brand. The event was a star-studded affair, with Flo Milli, Dess Dior, Chaylyn of the OMG Girlz, Saucy Santana and Mariah the Scientist among those in attendance.
Reese said the Barbie collaboration carries personal significance because she grew up without many dolls that «looked like her» and played basketball. The remark sparked a fresh conversation online, with social media users noting that Black dolls have a long history in Barbie’s world. Christie, Barbie’s Black friend, entered the lineup in 1968; the first official Black Barbie doll was released in 1980; and in 1998, four years before Reese was born, Mattel sold Black basketball-playing Barbie dolls in authentic NBA uniforms.
The training camp stories focused on the partners NFL players leave behind when they report to summer camp. One post showed Drew Allar’s girlfriend stocking him up with snacks, while Isaiah Likely’s wife, Melanie, sent him off in style. Myles Garrett’s girlfriend, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, used National Girlfriends Day to poke gentle fun at Garrett for missing the occasion, and Jaxson Dart’s girlfriend, Marissa Ayers, was shown making the most of summer in Oahu before football season takes over.
With training camps underway and the season fast approaching, fantasy football draft season is also moving to the front of fans’ minds. The countdown to September is on, and the familiar Sunday night opening will again be part of the weekly routine.
