Toronto fans loudly boo U.S. anthem at Raptors game at Scotiabank Arena

We already knew Canadian hockey fans weren’t happy with their American neighbours, and now it appears that Toronto Raptors fans feel the same way.

Just a day after Canadian sports fans booed the Star-Spangled Banner before both an Ottawa Senators game and a Calgary Flames game the same was done before today’s NBA game between the Raptors and LA Clippers.

The game was held in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena with the anthem being booed heavily at the start and throughout the singer’s performance.

It’s been a growing trend over this weekend to see the American anthem get such a negative reaction in sporting events in Canada. This is due to the newly announced tariffs on Canadian goods that US President Donald Trump confirmed would be taking effect this week.

While the American anthem was met with a barrage of boo-birds, the opposite could be said when the 15-year-old singer switched up to “O Canada”. The booing changed to raucous cheering as the Canadian fans showed their support for their home country.

There were a few things for the fans to cheer for, however. Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell, members of the 2019 NBA championship squad, were both in town on Sunday with the Clippers, while their former teammate Danny Green was also in attendance.

The trio were honoured midway through the first quarter with a joint tribute video.

This isn’t the first time that the American anthem has been met with a less-than-stellar reaction in Canada. Back in 2003, Montreal Canadiens fans booed the anthem in an apparent rebuttal to the American-led war in Iraq, which prompted an apology from then-President Pierre Boivin.

To say that the relationship between Americans and Canadians is strained would not be wrong and one can only hope that the two countries can eventually work something out that is beneficial to all parties.

Until then, more boo-birds may be on the way.