TIt was the first time the Blue Jays had won. World SeriesIn 1992, the team's victory parade took place on the same day as a controversial national referendum. A series of potential constitutional changes were unfolding that day that left Canadians, struggling through a period of economic strain, regional tensions and growing distrust of political elites, wondering what kind of country they lived in. The referendum failed and paved the way for another three years later in 1995, which resulted in Quebec leaving Canada almost entirely. After the victory, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney congratulated the Jays, noting that, in addition to the “historic victory”, the team's run to the playoffs “united the nation, capturing the imagination of Canadians from coast to coast.” This was what Canada needed.
This time there was no parade. The Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 early Sunday morning. heartbreaking game 7missing out on their first World Series title in 32 years.
It would be a stretch to suggest that Canada needed the Jays to win just as much as they did in 1992. First, there has since been another World Series victory the following year, capped by Joe Carter's historic home run. And only six years have passed since then Toronto Raptors win NBA championship – another unexpected victory for a Canadian franchise in a sport dominated by the United States. In other words, this would not be the first victory for “Team Canada.”
But some things never change. After all, Canada's national sentiment is perpetually fragile, and regional issues and economic trends are embedded within it. Of course, the country is not on the verge of splitting, as it was in 1992, but there is a strange and unusually strong Separatist movement rages in Albertapushing the province into unknown territory. Inflation is significantly lower, but other economic indicators are so-so. The unemployment rate in the country is now lower than in the early 90s – 7% now versus 11% then. But it depends on how old you are: youth unemployment in Canada is currently around 15%. However, these are familiar, solvable problems. Tensions with the US No.
Back in 1992, Canada had just signed the first NAFTA agreement with the United States and Mexico. At least at the political level there was a sense of intercontinental camaraderie. After a US Marine unwittingly turned the Canadian flag upside down During the 1992 World Series game in Atlanta, US President George H. W. Bush quickly issued a formal apology. Blue Jays fans responded with grace, loudly chanting “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the next game in Toronto. “Americans are still in some ways ignorant about us, but that doesn’t mean we’re against them,” Greg Brown, a Toronto dentist who sang along with everyone else at the game. told the LA Times. “We're not that kind of people.”
That's all. Last spring, the Canadians teamed up as a men's hockey team during the NHL's Four Nations Cup. The US anthem was loudly booed at every opportunity. Today Nafta is dead. A deal to replace him is in limbo amid the shambolic economic policies adopted seemingly at random from Donald Trump's White House. From time to time Trump thinking about turning Canada into a US state – the kind of threat not heard since the 19th century. Canada's victory at the Four Nations was more than satisfying; it was a cleanser. But months have passed since then, and relations between Canada and the United States have become even more strained and strange.
Into all of this came the Blue Jays, the only team in Canada with even remotely the same national profile as a hockey team. And even though the majority of the Jays' roster is made up of Americans, the October playoffs are strengthened. the same feeling of nationalism as the Four Nations did. And many Americans joined this movement. Part of it was simply supporting weaknesses. Dodgers with their $700 million superstar and Hollywood fans, make easy villains. But there was something more. For a certain type of American viewer, the Jays came to represent a different idea of power than what the United States had embodied in recent times: something more stable, more powerful, and less loudly self-confident.
In widespread clip In his podcast, American commentator Scott Galloway admitted that it was “weird” to root for Toronto instead of his home team, the Dodgers. “Canada has never looked stronger,” he said. “US strategy appears performative. False masculinity. Sclerotic. They dictate trade policy. advertising based this displeases the president. Canada just seems more consistent and fearless. I think it strengthened the Canadian brand.” One online gambling site conducted an unscientific analysis of geotagged data and fan hashtags on X. conclusion this support was higher for the Jays than for the Dodgers in all states except California, Nevada and Utah.
All this, at first glance, is connected with baseball. But it's also about how sports become a metaphor, whether we like it or not. The 2025 Jays playoff game was another moment for Canada to express its sense of self and showcase it to the world at a time when national identities are shifting everywhere. It was a chance to create collective memories that shape and define the identity of a country. Henderson scores. Touch 'em all, Joe. Golden goal. Connor McDavid for Canada. The Blue Jays… well, they're almost there.
Admittedly, this loss is painful for another reason. For decades, Canadian hockey fans have watched U.S. teams march through American cities with the Stanley Cup, and the country's most beloved sports symbol has become increasingly less Canadian. But the Jays were winning in the American pastime, in American stadiums, against the richest club in America. This time the story took a different path. Victory would be very nice. Changing the situation would be even better.
But ultimately it was another story of recognition. Jace, even in defeat, gave Canada another chance to see yourself more clearly and coherently. This vision will disappear, as it always does. Other everyday problems will return. Economy. Regionalism. Tariffs. One baseball victory will never bind a nation forever. But it was a good reminder that the threads were still there, that they still held together.
