Every Sunday night, football fans turn their TVs to NBC in anticipation of an entertaining game. However, some express more excitement about Carrie Underwood‘s theme song that sets the stage. A fitting example is Marlene, an 86-year-old grandma from Montclair, California, who danced to the track.
The Sunday Night Football account posted the video on Twitter, which featured a side-by-side setup. Marlene was on the left while the pregame video played on the right. The grandma showed her excitement for the song and the ensuing kickoff by standing up and doing a swaying dance while holding on to her walker. She alternated raising her arms in the air while moving her feet in the two-step motion, dancing until the song came to an end.
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A must watch: 86-year-old grandma, Marlene, of Montclair, CA dancing to @carrieunderwood‘s SNF open will brighten your day.
“She waits all week for Sunday Night Football – it’s the highlight of her week!” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/81L9jrVLlr
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) November 10, 2020
“Marlene just made every Sunday for me for the rest of my life! Glad she’s as excited as I am about [SNFon NBC]! [heart emoji]” Underwood tweeted in response. She was one of many people reacting with joy after watching Marlene showcase her moves. Some even expressed the opinion that Marlene should now become more involved in the weekly tradition, writing: “Put Marlene in the open!!!”
There are several football fans that hear the opening lines of Underwood’s song and immediately express excitement. They know that the song is setting up three more hours of NFL football, as well as top-tier commentary from Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. Marlene, on the other hand, knows that it is time to get out of her chair and boogie.
While Underwood has set the stage for Sunday Night Football for nearly a decade, she has mixed up the song. The most recent change took place before the 2020 season and the opening game between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. The new video featured footage of Underwood recording the song in a studio in Nashville and performing in front of a green screen. Several NFL players also took part and sent in their cameos due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We all want to make each year feel special and unique, and more than anything, everybody’s just grateful that we get to do this,” Underwood said about the opening prior to the season. “Fans are going to get to be a part of the open with our world today and trying to do things in a socially distanced manner. That lended itself to giving us a new perspective on the open.”
“I think people need Sunday Night Football,” Underwood continued. “Fans can all kind of unite for a few hours and they get to cheer on their favorite teams, and we need that bit of normalcy, even if we’re going about it in a slightly different way.” Marlene ultimately proved this statement to be true when she danced during the opening song.
