Carrie Underwood took to Twitter this week to fire back at Sports Illustrated’s Jessica Smetana over some disparaging commentary about her oft-criticized, updated “Sunday Night Football” theme song.
The pop-country superstar unveiled a new version of her long-running “SNF” theme this season, titled “Game On,” and the song has been met for months with derision and snark.
The latest sports media personality to bash Underwood’s theme was Smetana, a producer/showrunner for Sports Illustrated and co-host of the “Most Valuable Podcast.
While noting Sunday night how NBC mentioned that Cris Collinsworth’s “slide-ins” during “SNF” broadcasts have become meme-worthy, Smetana took a potshot at Underwood’s new theme song.
I love that NBC has been reading everyone's Collinsworth slide tweets because it means they've also been reading all the tweets about how much we hate the new Carrie Underwood song
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) December 17, 2018
Underwood emerged on Twitter Monday morning and fired back at Smetana over the shade.
Hey, I know my music isn’t for everyone, but I love what I do and I love being a part of @SNFonNBC ! I am one lucky lady! I also love women who build other women up…just saying… https://t.co/F4yuNGKj0M
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) December 17, 2018
Underwood shortly afterward then posted a tweet preaching positivity and kindness, writing, “Today, let’s be positive. Let’s be NICE to each other. Let’s do something nice FOR someone else. Smile at a stranger. It’s the start of a new week! Today is precious! Don’t waste it! Sending love and cheer to you all!!!”
Smetana quickly responded to Underwood’s tweet in an effort to squelch a potential social media feud, posting, “Omg wait no I love you I just miss the old song!!”
Lastly, Smetana issued the following mea culpa for her original tweet, clarifying more clearly why she issued it in the first place.
Sorry that I dissed ‘Game On’ in my tweet about Cris Collinsworth’s slides. I didn’t mean to upset Carrie or her fans, and I'm all about supporting women too. I just miss ‘Waiting all day for Sunday Night.'
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) December 17, 2018
As Smetana alludes to in her tweet, it’s not the best move to call out a star who boasts a fiercely loyal fan base on social media. Odds are Smetana was on the receiving end of some fairly vitriolic barbs from Underwood’s passionate fans and perhaps realized some fights are not worth the effort or the backlash.
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