Please Advise! Can I Cheer for the Blue Jays in Seattle?

[Editor’s note: Steve Burgess is an accredited spin doctor with a PhD in Centrifugal Rhetoric from the University of SASE, situated on the lovely campus of PO Box 7650, Cayman Islands. In this space he dispenses PR advice to politicians, the rich and famous, the troubled and well-heeled, the wealthy and gullible.]

Dear Dr. Steve,

Recent statistics show that the plunge in Canada-to-U.S. tourism was not just a passing phenomenon. Forbes reports that September vehicle trips from Canada to the U.S. were down 35 per cent from the previous September, air travellers down 27 per cent year over year, and that September was the ninth consecutive month that saw steep declines in Canadian visitors to the U.S.

But this week the Toronto Blue Jays are in Seattle for the American League Championship Series. It's been a tradition for Canadian baseball fans to visit Seattle and show their support for the Jays. Should they do so this time?

Signed,

CJ

Dear CJ,

True story: Dr. Steve recently booked a Toronto hotel room at a major chain and was then unexpectedly passed along to an Orlando-based telemarketer who attempted to sell him a U.S. vacation package. Dr. Steve rebuffed several come-ons by insisting he had no plans to visit the United States. Finally the telemarketer sighed and asked: “Is it the orange guy, Steve?”

Yes. Yes it is, Orlando dude. Thank you for acknowledging that. Unlike some of your fellow citizens, you seem to dwell in the real world. As a reward, Dr. Steve hereby awards you the Nobel Prize for Recognizing the Obvious.

As Canadians continue to stay away from Donald Trump's domain, desperate U.S. destinations are making pitches to Canadian travellers.

But there may be no better pitch than the one coming from the mound in Seattle this week. The Blue Jays are playing the Mariners for the right to advance to the World Series. FRS Clipper is planning an extra sailing from Victoria to Seattle Wednesday in anticipation of demand.

Will that demand materialize? Will ferry passengers be forced to surrender their Canadian passports, develop allergies to maple syrup and begin spelling “defence” with an s? This contest could become more than a battle between two teams — it could be a battle between different expressions of patriotism.

For years, showing your Canadian pride has meant travelling to Seattle with Blue Jays caps, jerseys and flags when the team visits. In 2025, standing up for Canada has meant staying home. Should Jays fans get a hall pass on the tourism boycott?

The Toronto-Seattle series could be used as a wedge by those with a political agenda. Advocates for Cascadian independence may well ask why British Columbians should declare allegiance to a team located over 4,000 kilometres away, instead of a team based 230 kilometres south. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has her separatist referendums — local secessionists have Mariners season tickets.

Even for those with patriotic impulses, it could be pointed out that the Mariners have the only player on either team who can get a home-cooked meal from Mom in the Greater Toronto Area — Josh Naylor from Mississauga. As well, Seattle boasts the only graduate of Bayridge Secondary School in Kingston, Ontario, in pitcher Matt Brash.

The Mariners have more Tragically Hip DNA than the Jays. Their mascot is a moose, for goodness’ sake. If Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a total ban on Canadian citizens travelling to the U.S., the Jays lineup would be unaffected. (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., though born in Canada, could travel as a Dominican.)

Others will surely dismiss the whole event as a false flag. The Jays play at a stadium officially called Rogers Centre, while the Mariners play at T-Mobile Park. Root for your favourite cellular giant, kids. It seems like cheering for Enbridge against Exxon.

In short, Dr. Steve does not judge any whose loyalties waver this week. Those who supported the New York Yankees in the last round were dead to him, of course — some betrayals cannot be forgiven. But this series is different.

All the same, Dr. Steve will be pulling hard for the Jays. Yes, it's irrational. Sports fandom is irrational. Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make sports fans.

Things are looking bleak for the Jays after two decisive losses at home. The Mariners did not prove to be courteous guests — they gave American tourists quite a bad name with all their loud hitting and inconsiderate run-scoring.

But Dr. Steve still holds out hope that someday soon, Donald Trump will have to watch the forcible deportation of the World Series trophy to a nation that will never become a U.S state. Surely you won't have to be a sports fan to appreciate a spectacle like that.