Fans at a Toronto Raptors game took part in a growing trend of booing the American national anthem at sports events in Canada on Sunday.
The crowd at the NBA’s only Canadian team joined similar reactions that happened the night before at NHL games in Ottawa, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his threat to impose tariffs on Canada.
At the Raptors game, fans first cheered for the 15-year-old female singer before booing during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The mixed sounds of boos and cheers were followed by applause when the Canadian anthem, “O Canada,” played.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, fans booed when Agasha Mutesasira started singing the American anthem at the NHL game between the Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings. “I mean, it’s too bad, right? It is what it is,” said Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who is from New York. “I guess you can maybe understand it from this side, but seems like it’s a thing that’s going around the league right now.”
Trump declared an economic emergency on Saturday, imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on imports from China. This includes a 10% tax on Canadian energy imports, such as oil, gas, and electricity. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s president announced retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
Raptors forward Chris Boucher, who is from Canada, was asked after his team’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers if he had ever seen anything like the anthem booing.
“No, no, no,” he said. “But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?”
Joseph Chua, a Toronto resident attending the game, said he would feel the tariffs “pretty directly” in his job as an importer. However, he didn’t agree with the booing. He chose to stay seated instead.
“I have a bunch of American family, friends that live in the states that are Americans, we travel to America all the time, but I thought chanting, ‘Canada,’ would be a more appropriate stance,” Chua said. “Usually, I will stand. I’ve always stood during both anthems. I’ve taken my hat off to show respect to the American national anthem, but today we’re feeling a little bitter about things.”
“We were already talking about what businesses are Canadian, specifically, what are American, specifically, what to avoid. When I go grocery shopping, I will definitely be trying to avoid American products and groceries.”
While booing the U.S. anthem in Canada is rare, it’s not unheard of, especially in response to global events. In the early 2000s, Canadian fans booed the U.S. anthem to show their opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019, and coach Tyronn Lue did not comment on the booing. However, Lue did sing along to “O Canada,” saying he just enjoys the song.
“I heard it a lot of times being in the playoffs here, so I know it by heart,” Lue said.
