Canadians are booing the U.S. anthem—and I couldn’t be prouder
Nothing captures the collapse of American influence quite like watching the typically reserved Canadians boo the Star-Spangled Banner.
Welcome to Sports Politika, a media venture founded by investigative journalist and researcher Karim Zidan that strives to help you understand how sports and politics shape the world around us. Our mission is to offer an independent platform for accessible journalism that raises awareness and empowers understanding.
If you share this vision, please consider supporting us by joining our community and becoming a paid subscriber.
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state and his tariffs on Canadian goods, tensions between the two countries have been running high—spilling over into Saturday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal.
Despite announcements urging fans to respect the national anthem, the sold-out crowd at the Bell Centre made their stance clear, erupting in boos during the Star-Spangled Banner. Moments later, as the puck dropped, so did the players’ gloves, with three fights breaking out within the first nine seconds of the game.
The protests were a continuation of a trend that began in Ottawa shortly after Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1 that would have imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico due to what the White House termed an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl.” That evening, the U.S. anthem was booed at a National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild.
The same thing happened the next day when the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Detroit Red Wings. The booing later spread to NBA Raptors games in Toronto, including in a game against the LA Clippers shortly after Trump announced the extraordinary tariffs.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter after the Four Nations playoff game, which Canada lost 3-1, that he was “damn proud of this country,” enraging American fans who took aim at him on the social media platform.
While Trudeau did not specifically state that he was proud of Canadians for booing the U.S. anthem, the underlying tone of the message was abundantly clear. Canada is a sovereign, independent nation that will not be bullied into submission and will not act as a receptacle for U.S. interests.
As someone who has lived in Canada for over 15 years, I couldn’t help but feel proud. Proud that Canadians booed the anthem of a country threatening to harm us—or worse, absorb us entirely. Proud that they rattled conservative Americans, who are now suddenly demanding decorum and the separation of sports and politics after having their feelings hurt. Proud that Canadians are finally waking up to the reality that America isn’t their big brother—it’s their reckless, embarrassing cousin, unworthy of their allegiance.
If fact, we actually owe Trump a debt of gratitude. His attacks on Canada, from threats of annexation to blundering tariffs, have reinvigorated Canadian pride and self determination. Recent polling revealed that 84% of those surveyed have considered buying more Canadian-made products in the past few days in response to American tariff threats. Hats insisting “Canada is not for sale” have gone viral while five former prime ministers have called for Canadian unity. This recent shift in sentiment is also being felt by Canada’s Conservative Party, which failed to respond to Trump’s assault in any meaningful way.
For the past 18 months, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party has maintained a significant lead over the Liberals for the next federal election, peaking at 47 percent at the start of 2025. However, ever since Trudeau announced plans to step down as prime minister and Trump began threatening Canada’s sovereignty, voters appear to be drifting back to the Liberals, with some polls slashing the Conservative lead to eight or nine points.
Trump’s attacks on Canada gave Trudeau a much-needed opportunity to step up after years of being one of the country’s most polarizing figures. When Trump announced his tariffs in early February, Trudeau hit back with 25% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, vowing they would be “far-reaching and include everyday items.” It was a rare moment of decisive action, fulfilling his promise that Canada would respond forcefully and swiftly to U.S. levies.
Trudeau’s response effectively called Trump’s bluff, as the U.S. president later delayed his tariffs for one month. And though Trump claimed that the delay was due to Canada promising additional actions, all of those promises, including the $1.3 billion border security plan, had already been announced months earlier.
Meanwhile, Poilievre found himself on the back foot, taking weeks to respond to Trump’s aggressive policies—a delay that cost him dearly in the polls and offered Canadians a glimmer of hope that he could lose the upcoming election, which could be called as soon as March.
Trump’s actions have also stained other Canadians who have been supportive of the U.S. president, including hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. The NHL legend has supported Trump over the last election cycle, attending his Mar-a-Lago residence during his victory celebration late last year. Trump even called for Gretzky to run for prime minister. Inevitably, Gretzky’s silence in the aftermath of Trump’s attacks drew the ire Canadian fans and politicians alike, with NDP MP Charlie Angus calling The Great One a “puppet” who should be “absolutely ashamed of himself.”
“Wayne, you failed us,” Angus said during a podcast appearance.
As Trump continues to bulldoze decades of U.S. foreign policy in favour of aggressive dealmaking and “America First” imperialism, he is squandering the soft power and goodwill the U.S. once enjoyed with its Western allies—Canada included. His approach has also strained relations with Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest partners in Latin America. But nothing captures the collapse of American influence quite like watching even the typically reserved Canadians boo the Star-Spangled Banner.
And while the U.S. may have won some of the fights it picked on Saturday night in Montreal, the moment that went viral told a different story—JT Miller, mid-brawl with his Canadian opponent, landing a punch squarely on his own face. If there’s ever been a perfect metaphor for America’s current leadership, that was it.
Sports Politika is a media platform dedicated to the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription ( or gift a subscription if you already have your own). We would appreciate if you could also like the post and let us know what you think in the comment section below.