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A new NBC Olympics ad featuring Canadian pop star Tate McRae has sparked immediate backlash after it was posted by the singer and NBC on Wednesday.
In it, McRae appears on a snowy mountain, eagerly asking for help to get to Milan for the opening ceremony to meet not Team Canada, but Team USA.
“This is the weekend of America’s best gold skating and Lindsey Vonn’s epic comeback,” she said. “Then back to the States for the big game, Super Bowl 60.”
The ad promotes McRae’s latest single, Nobody’s daughter.
Canadians took to social media to share their dismay at the Calgary-born-and-raised singer promoting the American group, a week after McCray was announced as the front-runner at this year’s Juno Awards alongside Justin Bieber.
“I’m a little disappointed that Tate McRae is going to NBC and Team USA for the Olympics and not for Canada, but OK,” said the Toronto-based sports content creator. Jordan Cichelli posted to X.
An independent media company made in Canada Posted to their X account Questioning why McCray had Team USA’s support.
In a shared conversation Virgin Radio Toronto TikTok Toronto account, hosts Darrin Jones and Deepa Prashad discuss the ad, asking, “Why does she respect American athletes?”
“Don’t they have an American that could be in that ad?” Prashad asked.
Jones continued: “The Olympics were in Calgary, your hometown Tate McRae. No national pride?”
Prashad then asked if the ad would make McRae a “sellout.”
But not all fans seem angry. Some will enjoy this moment as a step in the singer’s career.
“Tate My Advice is doing promo for the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. Oh my, Canada’s Princess Pop is here,” he posted. Another fan at X.
CBC Music has reached out to McRae’s team for comment.
There was a similar reaction to British pop star Dua Lipa’s appearance in November. In another NBC Olympics ad Introducing American athletes Lindsey Vonn, Alyssa Liu, Michaela Shiffry and Chloe Kim.