A fresh NBC Olympics advertisement starring Canadian music sensation Tate McRae faced immediate criticism following its release by McRae and NBC on Wednesday. The ad depicts McRae on a snowy mountain, seeking assistance from an owl to reach Milan for the opening ceremony not to support Team Canada, but Team USA. She mentions the excitement of watching America’s top skaters compete for gold and Lindsey Vonn’s remarkable comeback before heading back to the U.S. for Super Bowl 60. The ad also highlights McRae’s latest single, “Nobody’s Girl.”
Social media was flooded with disheartened comments from Canadians regarding the Calgary-born singer’s backing of the American team, especially after McRae was recently revealed as the top nominee at this year’s Juno Awards alongside Justin Bieber. Toronto-based sports content creator Jordan Cicchelli expressed mixed feelings, stating, “Tate McRae doing a promo for NBC and Team USA for the Olympics and not Canada has me a bit sad but okay.”
Made in Canada, an independent media company, questioned McRae’s decision to support Team USA. In response to the backlash, McRae shared a childhood photo of herself holding a Canadian flag on Instagram with the caption, “…y’all know I’m Canada down.”
Virgin Radio Toronto’s hosts, Daryn Jones and Deepa Prashad, raised concerns over McRae’s endorsement of American athletes in the ad, pondering the absence of an American figure for the role. The hosts questioned McRae’s lack of national pride given that the Olympics were held in her hometown, Calgary.
While some fans expressed disappointment, others viewed the moment as a significant milestone in McRae’s career. One supporter on social media hailed McRae as the “Canadian princess of pop” for her involvement in promotional activities for both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.
CBC Music has reached out to McRae’s team for a response. Similar reactions emerged in November when British pop star Dua Lipa featured in a different NBC Olympics ad endorsing American athletes Lindsey Vonn, Alysa Liu, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Chloe Kim.