Each April, Canadians nationwide prepare for another Toronto Blue Jays season but an increasing number of fans, particularly in the West, are beginning to wonder: are the Jays truly Canada’s team? The Blue Jays have sported the maple leaf with pride for decades, from the Joe Carter era in 1993 to the bat-flip antics of José Bautista. But in 2025, as fandom is more regionalized than ever before, the Jays’ grip on national identity might not be the same.
2025 – Nathan Denette
In British Columbia, allegiances are torn in every direction. Most BC baseball fans have come to the Seattle Mariners, whose proximity and accessibility make them the rational home team. T-Mobile Park is a quick drive from Vancouver, and on any given weekend summer afternoon, it’s filled with Canadians wearing both blue and teal. The “Canadian Invasion” games, as they are popularly referred to by Mariners fans, are a tradition thousands of fans making the pilgrimage over the border for a weekend of sunshine and baseball.
2025 – Lindsey Wasson
Meanwhile, Toronto’s minor-league affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians, offer local fans a real home team to support. Their Nat Bailey Stadium games are always sold out, a nostalgia-hued, inexpensive experience that keeps baseball integral to the community. For all but the most die-hard fans, the Canadians are a better representation of BC baseball than any Toronto team a thousand kilometers distant. That is not to say the Jays lost their spark. Toronto’s recent postseason pushes have reignited national pride, and with stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette at the helm. But the question remains, does the rest of Canada consider the Blue Jays our team, or Toronto’s?
2022 – Bob Kronbauer
The appeal of baseball is its local nature. The East can adopt Toronto, but the West discovered its new heroes in closer proximity. Between Canadians’ own style of zest and the Mariners’ cross-border affinity, BC fans have forged their own baseball identity. So perhaps the answer isn’t if the Blue Jays are Canada’s team. Perhaps it is that there is more than one team in Canada to love and BC baseball culture is robust enough to thrive independently.