The Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers game saw a hostile reaction from Canadian fans during the US national anthem.
According to The Guardian, spectators booed throughout the anthem on Sunday, continuing a growing trend at sporting events in Canada.
The previous day, the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings games also faced similar reactions in Ottawa and Calgary.
These games came hours after Donald Trump made his threat of import tariffs on Canada a reality.
At the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto, fans initially cheered the 15-year-old girl singing the anthems, but the cheers turned to boos as she started “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange, present at the game, noted on X that fans emphasized the word “free” in the Canadian anthem, showing their reaction to the tax.
Raptors forward Garrett Temple, an American, backed the reaction, saying, “A lot of things bigger than basketball going on in the world right now.”
He added, “At the end of the day, we play in an arena that’s in Canada, and they’re Canadian citizens, so they have a certain feeling about the trade situation, the tariffs. The people who booed let their thoughts be known.”
Booing during the national anthem is not new, as in the early 2000s, sports enthusiasts also booed to show disapproval of the US-led war in Iraq.
