Carrie Underwood channeled her love of live sporting events, especially football, when writing her current single, “The Champion.” The song, which says, “I am invincible, unbreakable / Unstoppable, unshakeable /They knock me down, I get up again / I am the champion,” was inspired by reading some of the most inspirational speeches about sports.
“We started looking up great speeches, great sports speeches, great movies about sports,” Underwood says of the song, which she wrote with Ludacris, Brett James and Chris DeStefano. “Those things that when you’re in the theater, you’re getting chill bumps when some coach is giving his team this amazing speech, and that’s what we wanted to put into a song.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
“The Champion” will be used in both the Super Bowl LII and the 2018 Winter Olympics, but Underwood hopes that the song is an inspiration for everyone.
“We wanted it to be something that people could listen to when they’re in the gym,” says Underwood, “or before they watch the Super Bowl, or something that would work for this but also work for people in their everyday lives and just inspire and make them feel like they were ready for anything.”
Married to former ice hockey player Mike Fisher, Underwood says there’s nothing that beats the feeling of watching live sports.
“I think it’s just the excitement, the drama,” Underwood notes. “You’ve got all these people on the ice or on the field or on the court, and they’re just giving it their all. Big sporting events are just amazing. There’s just something really special about live sporting events, and football. I’ve been watching it my entire life, so it’s fun to be a part of it in some way and to be a part of the biggest game of the year is really special.”
The Super Bowl LII will air live from the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis beginning at 6:30pm ET on NBC. The 2018 Winter Olympics will begin on Feb. 9, also airing on NBC.
Photo Credit: Facebook/Carrie Underwood
Most Viewed
-
(Credit: Netflix) -
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during Monday’s May 18, 2026 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. -
Attend the "Modern Family" ATAS event at Saban Media Center on May 3, 2017 in North Hollywood, California. -
(Credit: Imagesines/Getty Images) -
(Disney/Mike Taing) RICHARD T. JONES, BRIDGET REGAN -
GREY’S ANATOMY – Key Art. (Disney) -
“Reverse the Curse” – Back from tribal, tensions rise following the exit of a particularly historic player. The final five immunity challenge ends in a showdown and features one of the closest finishes the show has ever seen. Jeff reveals the outcomes of the remaining in-game fan votes and how they impact the final stage of the competition. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $2 million prize, during the three-hour live season finale, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, May 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured: Aubry Bracco Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
