NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast began without showing the national anthem, despite the NFL’s Salute to Service campaign, Veterans Day being only days away, and the game taking place at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
After the broadcast introduced analyst Cris Collinsworth and play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle, viewers saw an interview with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. An aerial shot of the stadium followed, showing flag bearers carrying a large folded American flag into a tunnel. The anthem itself was not part of the broadcast.
NBC did air a performance of the show’s theme song by Carrie Underwood, and covered Chicago’s acquisition of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Some viewers on social media noticed that the national anthem had been left out.
The NFL and individual teams generally do not decide whether the anthem appears on a game broadcast; that choice belongs to the network. NBC had not responded to questions about the omission by the time the story was published.
This was not the first anthem-related moment involving the Bears this season. On September 28, a mariachi band performed an instrumental version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a Bears game as part of the team’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The performance drew mixed reactions. During the anthem, injured quarterback Caleb Williams was also seen pacing along the sideline.
NBC may have hoped to avoid controversy by leaving the anthem out of its broadcast. Judging by the reaction from some viewers, that approach did not prevent criticism.
