GRAMMY-nominated pop star Tate McRae is at the center of a surprising cultural moment just days before some of the biggest sporting events of the year. According to Billboard, McRae stars in a new promotional campaign from NBCUniversal that highlights both the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies in Milan-Cortina and Super Bowl LX, and the response online has been intense.
The commercial, part of NBC’s “Legendary February” push, drops McRae into snowy Italian landscapes as she playfully narrates her journey toward the Olympic action and then pivots to hype up the Super Bowl weekend. The ad is meant to build excitement for what NBC is calling an unprecedented broadcast stretch, two major global events back to back.
In the clip, McRae is seen trekking toward Milan and welcoming viewers into a sequence that teases big moments ahead. But once the ad hit social media, reactions quickly went beyond just how catchy or fun the spot looked. Because McRae was born in Calgary, Canada, some fans expressed surprise and even disappointment that she was fronting a promo focused heavily on Team USA athletes and American-centric Olympic coverage.
According to Billboard, comments online ranged from playful confusion about her allegiances to sharper critiques about her appearance in an ad promoting one nation’s team over another. That backlash highlights just how loaded national pride can become when the Olympics are involved, even when the goal is simply to build hype for viewers ahead of two of the year’s most watched broadcasts.
NBC, for its part, has continued to run the promo and lean into the broader momentum. The network’s “Legendary February” campaign is designed to connect both the Winter Games and the Super Bowl under one massive programming umbrella, and McRae’s involvement is a big part of that strategy.
This moment is not just about a commercial. It has become a flashpoint in how fans think about identity, representation, and where pop culture intersects with global sports. That kind of reaction, mixed, viral, and deeply engaged, is exactly the kind that keeps stories like this alive online as the Olympics and Super Bowl get closer.
