Heartbroken Blue Jays fans return to real world still stinging after World Series loss

Many Toronto Blue Jays fans return to work and school Monday with lingering sadness as World Series excitement fades.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Jays 5-4 in a tense Game 7 on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at Rogers Center in Toronto.

Jay fans were confident this would be their game after Bo Bichette's three-run homer gave the team the lead in the third inning. But a game-tying home run in the ninth inning by the Dodgers' Miguel Rojas tied the game. Then the Dodgers' Will Smith hit the game-winning homer in the extra 11th inning.

University of Toronto psychiatry professor Rajeevan Rasasingham says it's normal for fans to continue to mourn days after a loss because they were so emotionally invested in the series and built a relationship with the team.

“Sports created community,” he said in a telephone interview, noting that young people may be at greater risk of feeling sad after the World Series.

“Your daily life revolves around sports, and you talk about it every day at school with your friends,” he said. “When you’re younger, you’re even more involved.”

After the loss, many fans left Rogers Center cursing on air, mourning the end of the season.

Some were seen crying and covering their heads with their hands.

A fan named Amr Altaweel called the loss “heartbreaking” and another fan, Derek Shank, said he was “gutted.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford congratulated the Jays on a “tough World Series” in a social media post late Saturday.

“This may not have been the result we had hoped for, but you have made our country proud,” the post said.

Rasasingham said fans should be on guard if they feel themselves withdrawing from friends and activities or constantly brooding about the loss for more than a week. Grief should not prevent fans from enjoying daily activities, and feelings of hopelessness should not linger for too long.

He said those struggling should remember that there is strength in collective loss.

“It's okay to be sad. That’s what mattered to a lot of us,” he said. “Even grief can give us the opportunity to feel connected not only to our families, our friends, our work communities, but across the country.”

“Even though it's a loss, it can give me a sense of national pride in being Canadian.”

The World Series united Canadians across the country. It brought together longtime Jays fans who remember watching the World Series in 1992 and 1993, as well as a younger generation and a sizable group of fans.

Toronto turned into a sea of ​​white and blue as Jay's hats and tank tops became a fashion accessory.

Rasasingham said the pride felt by fans was further enhanced by the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States.

“I think for a lot of people, the success of the team is kind of tied to personal pride, civic pride, Canadian pride,” he said.

Rasasingham said the Blue Jays have been the perfect underdog all season, giving their fans a meteoric rise in the playoffs. The postseason was a tumultuous one, with the Jays battling it out and taking the American League Championship Series and the World Series to a seventh game.

The ALCS games featured moments that will be immortalized in team history, including George Springer's game-tying home run in Game 7 that won the Jays their first World Series in 30 years.

As a Blue Jays fan, Rasasingham said looking to the future may help some ease their grief.

“This could be the basis for future good seasons because we performed very well,” he said.