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Canadian pop singer Tate McRae appeared in an NBC advertisement for the Milan Cortina Olympics, in which she expressed her support for the US team. McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, in 2003, and attended high school in the country. However, he has made his musical career in the United States.
In the ad, McRae is seen talking to an owl and asking him how to get to Milan. She expresses excitement at seeing American athletes, including Lindsey Vonn, and closed it out by promoting America’s game: the Super Bowl.
“I’m trying to get to Milan for an amazing opening ceremony and meet Team USA. I’ll spend the week with some of America’s best, skating for gold and Lindsey Vonn’s epic comeback. And I’ll be back in the States for the big game, Super Bowl LX,” he said in the commercial.
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McRae’s support for the United States in the ad sparked criticism from Canadians on social media.
One user referenced President Donald Trump’s previous suggestion that Canada become the 51st state of the United States.
“Every year I feel like my dislike for her is more valid. Girl, why are you advertising for Team USA after that country threatened to annex your home country, Canada? You fucking traitor,” the user wrote.
One user wrote: “Not the girl born and raised in Canada, who promotes the US team and wears all red, given the state of the US and everything Trump has said about Canada… I guess a paycheck is a paycheck? This is so embarrassing.”
Tate McRae at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Dolby Theater on April 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
Another user wrote: “Tate McRae who is from Calgary Alberta is doing Olympic promos for Team USA…more like ‘Trait McRator’ AMIRITE!”
Some Americans and Canadians have defended the rising pop star in the face of backlash,
“Quote tweets are full of woke Canadians attacking her as a traitor for promoting Team USA.
Another user wrote: “Selling out for America is the most Albertan thing she could do to be fair.”
Tensions between the United States and Canada are historically higher than at the previous Winter Olympics amid Trump’s proposal to annex the country and the imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods that entered the United States last year.
This year’s Winter Games could see fans of the two countries booing each other’s national anthems, as well as possible fights at hockey games, as seen during the NHL’s 4 Nations Showdown last January.
AMERICAN OLYMPIAN SPEAKS AFTER TEAM CANADA’S WITHDRAWAL PREVENTS HER FROM QUALIFYING FOR MILAN-CORTINA
Several athletes who will compete for the next US women’s Olympic ice hockey team have said they are willing to engage in physical combat with Canadian players if necessary.
American women’s hockey star Caroline Harvey said she’s prepared to fight and even hear Canadians boo “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Games.
“It’s something to be expected, especially playing against Canada,” Harvey told Pak Gazette Digital of potential anthem boos at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee media summit in October. “They don’t like us very much. So, it’s more motivating than anything else and, personally, it fuels the fire and makes us want to, you know, beat them more than ever.
“I don’t like them either. They’re a respectable competitor. They’re very good and they always give us a very difficult game. There’s a lot of back and forth. But when we get in the heat of the moment, we always fight and we don’t like them… Sometimes it gets personal.”
Veteran teammate Kendall Coyne Schofield, a mother of a young child and a self-described “lover, not a fighter,” told Pak Gazette Digital in October that she would fight if the situation demanded it.
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“If I have to do it, I have to do it,” he said. “And I wouldn’t say I’m not a fighter in the sense that I’ve fought for a lot of things in life. But I would just say in general. Fighting is not a strength of my game. But if I’m out there and I have to, you know, help my teammates, I will. But you won’t find me starting the fight, I can tell you that.”
Meanwhile, in the grassroots competition, many Americans are outraged by five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender’s absence from Milan Cortina, after it was discovered that Team Canada had rigged an Olympic qualifier last month that prevented Uhlaender from earning enough points to reach this year’s Winter Games.
