It has been said that sports can be a great unifier, bringing people together across different cultures over shared experiences as they cheer on their favorite teams. But in the current political climate, that may not be holding true.
How are tensions affecting the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Take the Stanley Cup Playoffs as an example. Five of the 16 NHL teams in the playoffs are from Canada and fans from some of those teams have been reluctant to visit the U.S. to see them chase the trophy.
Since President Donald Trump’s first days in office, the combination of trade restrictions and hostile rhetoric toward those north of the border, like calling for Canada to become the 51st state, has caused a massive drop in people coming over the northern border.
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According to statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, visitors coming across from Canada are down 12.5% in February and down 18% for March, year over year. That’s a drop of nearly 900,000 people from March 2024. A decline that hasn’t been seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
What effect could fewer visitors have on the economy?
If the drop continues at that rate and reaches 30% for an extended period, the U.S. Travel Association estimates it could result in over $6 billion in losses to the U.S. economy.
California is trying to do something about that. On April 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom took to social media to encourage Canadians to visit and took a shot at the White House.
“You-know-who’s trying to stir things up back in D.C.,” Newsom said in the video. “There’s something here for everyone. Last year, nearly 2 million Canadians visited California because here in California, we’ve got plenty of sunshine and a whole lot of love for our neighbors up north.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are playing one another, so they don’t have a potential U.S. visit until May at the earliest. The Winnipeg Jets will visit the U.S. on Thursday, April 24, during the team’s first-round playoff series with the St. Louis Blues.
What’s the reaction from Canadian fans?
The Edmonton Oilers are in Los Angeles and the Montreal Canadiens play the Capitals in Washington, D.C., both on Monday night, April 21, in the first game of their best-of-seven battles. Habs superfan Sunil Peetush told the Winnipeg Free Press he is having second thoughts about visiting, for any reason.
“We just didn’t feel right as Canadians. We felt like we were betraying our country, we have a cruise booked in August and it’s going to Alaska, and we haven’t really decided whether we’re going to do it or not.” Peetush said.
Sometimes fandom takes over; however, many Canadians say they won’t think twice if their teams go deep into the playoffs, and they’ll ride out any possible travel inconveniences at the border due to heightened restrictions.
A bigger sporting test could be the 2026 World Cup. The games are scheduled to be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and FIFA, soccer’s governing body, expects some 6 million people to attend games coming from countries all over the world.
