US skater Amber Glenn faces fallout over politics and issues with music copyright after Olympic gold

MILAN (AP) — On the same day Amber Glenn won Olympic gold as part of the team event, and stepped away from social media due to backlash over her comments on politics and the LGBTQ+ community, the American figure skater ended up with another headache.

Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, took to social media late Sunday to object to the use of his song “The Return,” which Glenn had used in her free skate — and has been using for the past two years without issue.

“So just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world ... what? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?” McKinnon posted to X, shortly after the team competition had ended.

Figure skaters are required to obtain permission for the music they use, but that process is hardly straightforward.

Sometimes the label or record producer owns the copyright, other times the artist themselves, and often there are multiple parties involved. Skaters sometimes will piece together different cuts of music, too. Throw in third-party companies such as ClicknClear that try to smooth out the permission process, and the entire copyright issue becomes murky and nuanced.

According to McKinnon, “The deal I have with my label is that I alone can give the OK to license my music.” McKinnon later said that he'd be looking into the situation, but did congratulate Glenn: “And plus she won Gold??? Huge congratz,” he posted.

Glenn was not available for comment on the music issue Monday. She planned to take the day off from training and then depart Milan to practice elsewhere ahead of the individual women's event, which begins Feb. 17 with the short program.

Messages left by The Associated Press with U.S. Figure Skating about Glenn's copyright problem were not returned.

The issue is not the first bit of controversy involving Glenn at the Milan Cortina Games.

The outspoken LGBTQ+ rights activist said she received threats on social media after saying during a pre-Olympics press conference that the queer community is going through a “hard time” amid the political climate under President Donald Trump.

“I was disappointed because I’ve never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking ‍about being decent — human rights and decency,” Glenn said Sunday night, wearing an LGBTQ+ pin on her team jacket during the team medal ceremony.

“So that was really disappointing,” Glenn added, “and I do think it kind of lowered that excitement for this.”

Copyrights never used to be a problem in figure skating because the International Skating Union barred any music involving vocals, and most classical music is considered public domain. But when those rules were relaxed in 2014, and modern music began to be used, artists soon demanded that they receive compensation for their work.

It all came to a head at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, when one of the indie artists who covered “House of the Rising Sun” objected to its use by American pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier. The ensuing lawsuit prompted the ISU to step in and try to develop systems that would help skaters avoid copyright infringement claims.

“It's never been an issue and then suddenly it is, and I don't understand why," Glenn told the AP ahead of the Winter Games. "I understand there was a big upset at the last Olympics because some artist — I’m sorry, they decided to be (jerks). Like, they couldn’t just appreciate this Olympic team competing? It wasn’t even their song to begin with; it was a cover.

“It’s not like we’re a TV show and playing music in the background for an emotional scene. It just feels like a cash grab for different companies, and it’s really upsetting that they can’t just appreciate that their music has inspired something creative.”

Justin Dillon, the director of high performance for U.S. Figure Skating, said the governing body has tried to help its skaters avoid any copyright claims. It is unclear whether the organization played any role in getting Glenn's music approved.

Numerous fans and even fellow skaters have been quick to rush to the American's defense.

“I’d be so honored that someone wants to skate to my music and give the music some amazing exposure,” said retired Canadian pairs skater Meagan Duhamel, a two-time Olympian and three-time medalist. "I used a piece of music for the 2018 Olympics and the artist was so excited she flew to the Olympics to listen and watch it live.”

After Nathan Chen won gold at the Beijing Games with a free skate set to “Rocket Man,” Elton John effusively praised the American for his performance. Chen later collaborated with the musical legend for a music video to a version of “Hold Me Closer.”

“We really rely on our music,” said Alysa Liu, part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team. "Without music, we’re not really our sport.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn of the United States reacts to her scores after competing during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Amber Glenn of the United States competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Amber Glenn of the United States competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Amber Glenn of the United States competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Team USA's Amber Glenn celebrates with her gold medal after the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Duke received the top overall seed for March Madness on Sunday, followed by Arizona, Michigan and Florida, each of whom would love a repeat of last season when all four No. 1s made it all the way to the Final Four.

The top line was the most predictable thing to come out of Selection Sunday, with Michigan’s drop of one spot to the overall No. 3 the result of the Wolverines' loss to Purdue moments before the brackets were revealed, according to tournament selection chair Keith Gill.

In the day’s biggest nail-biter, Miami (Ohio) made the field as a No. 11 seed, but just barely. The RedHawks, with a 31-1 record but the 339th-ranked strength of schedule, were one of the last teams in the field and they face a First Four game Wednesday against SMU in Dayton, Ohio, not terribly far from home.

The tournament starts Tuesday with other play-in games, including one pitting bubble teams and No. 11 seeds Texas and North Carolina State. The national champion will be crowned at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 6.

Among those left out were San Diego State, Indiana, Oklahoma and Auburn.

The Tigers had 16 losses but the third-best strength of schedule. The snub drew predictable blowback from Bruce Pearl, their former coach and father of their current coach, who was working for CBS and said “they played the toughest schedule in the country and I don’t know if they were rewarded for it.”

Even with those snubs, the Southeastern Conference led the way by placing 10 teams in the field of 68, four short of its record from last year.

The Big Ten followed with nine, the ACC and Big 12 with eight apiece -- an unsurprising result in an era of massive conference expansion and NIL compensation drawing top players to the biggest spenders.

The Gators (26-7) are the defending champion, trying to repeat their back-to-back titles from 2006-07. Last season, Florida was part of an all-No. 1 Final Four -- the first time that had happened in 17 seasons.

Gill confusingly said Miami (Ohio) was not the last at-large team in the bracket, even though it was ranked in the 1-68 lineup behind bubble teams North Carolina State, Texas and SMU. Those three teams also rated above Miami in some of the key metrics.

The 31 wins must have meant something.

Gill said the committee looked hard at how injuries would impact teams.

No team suffered more, both on the bracket and the court, than North Carolina, which is a No. 6 seed after losing Caleb Wilson to a broken right thumb. JT Toppin’s season-ending knee injury was also a factor in Texas Tech’s No. 5 seeding.

Asked how the NCAA’s seeding principles played a role in moving teams around in the bracket, Gill pointed to the First Four meeting between NC State and Texas the committee would have liked to avoid because it is a rematch of a game they played in the Maui Invitational in November.

He said nothing about placing No. 2 seed Houston in the South, where it could play the regional final in its hometown — normally something the NCAA shies away from. The game could be against Florida in what would be a rematch of last year’s national championship game.

The committee weighed the Big Ten final in moving Michigan down one notch and moving Purdue from a 3 to a 2 seed, but didn’t seem to pay as much attention to the action in the Big East.

St. John’s beat UConn by 20 in that conference final but remained where most bracketologists had them, at No. 5, and with a cross-country trip this week to San Diego to play Northern Iowa. UConn stayed at No. 2 where it had been predicted all along.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Kentucky guard Collin Chandler (5) falls onto Florida forward Alex Condon (21) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Arizona's Jaden Bradley celebrates after making the game-winning shot at the buzzer to defeat Iowa State during an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)