NBC Skips National Anthem on Sunday Night Football

Viewers noticed the anthem's absence from the network's broadcast of a game at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Football

NBC Skips National Anthem on Sunday Night Football

Live Poll

Should TV networks still air the national anthem before NFL games?

NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast from Soldier Field omitted the national anthem, drawing attention from viewers on social media. The game was played three days before Veterans Day, during the NFL's Salute To Service campaign week.

Why it matters

The omission stood out because the NFL was memorializing its Salute To Service campaign that week, and the decision rests with the network rather than the league or the clubs. Both NBC communications executives contacted about the omission had not responded as of publication.

The omission came three days before Veterans Day during the NFL's Salute To Service week, and the Bears' September 28 Monday Night Football game featured a mariachi anthem performance by comparison. NBC has not said whether the choice was deliberate, and the reasoning remains unexplained.

The players

NBC

The national broadcast network that produced the Sunday Night Football telecast and made the decision to omit the anthem.

Greg Hughes

NBC executive vice president of communications who was contacted about the omission and had not responded as of publication.

Chris McCloskey

NBC senior vice president of communications who was contacted about the omission and had not responded as of publication.

Carrie Underwood

Country music star who performed the 'show anthem' NBC aired in place of the national anthem.

The details

The broadcast opened with a booth introduction, a pregame interview with Caleb Williams, and an aerial view of the field, during which flag bearers carried a folded field-sized American flag back into a stadium tunnel. Instead of the anthem, NBC aired a 'show anthem' featuring Carrie Underwood, and the broadcast also carried the trade of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Bears.

September 28: The Bears hosted a mariachi anthem performance on Monday Night Football.
November 8, 2026: Sunday Night Football broadcast skipped the national anthem from Soldier Field.
Three days before Veterans Day: The game was played during the NFL's Salute To Service campaign week.

Season Trajectory

The omission came during the NFL's Salute To Service campaign week, a league-wide patriotic push that the broadcast appeared to depart from. It sits against the backdrop of the Bears' September 28 Monday Night Football mariachi anthem, showing how differently the anthem has been staged across the season.

Viewers who tuned in expecting the traditional pregame anthem instead saw a show anthem featuring Carrie Underwood, so the production choice changed what the broadcast looked like. Fans watching NBC's Sunday Night Football telecasts should expect that its pregame presentation can differ from what they are used to.

The takeaway

The omission shows that the choice to air the national anthem on a national telecast rests with the network, not the league or the teams. Readers who notice these production differences can look to the broadcaster for the reasoning behind them.