After winning game 7 in Toronto, the Los Angeles Dodgers grabbed their third World Series pennant in six years, repeating last year’s triumph over the New York Yankees. As recounted the ever-eloquent Kike Hernandez in Dodger Stadium following the celebratory parade, “Everybody has been asking questions about a dynasty. How about three in six years, how about back-to-back? Yes, we’re a mother-effing dynasty baby!”
This year’s fall classic was the first to include the Toronto Bluejays since 1993, and it couldn’t have come at a more interesting time. Relations between Washington and Ottawa are under historic stress, increasing pressure on both teams to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy.
The clash between Canadian and American sports teams started shortly after President Trump returned to the helm. Trump openly referred to Canada as the “51st state,” and imposed blanket tariffs on Canadian goods. As a result, during the Four Nation’s Face Off – an international hockey tournament – Canadian fans booed during the U.S. national anthem and players began fighting shortly after the puck dropped.
Tariffs and the American Economy
While nobody booed during the national anthem at this year’s World Series, tensions were hard to miss. Coinciding with the first game, the Ontario provincial government ran advertisements criticizing Trump’s tariff policies. Cleverly, the ads featured a well-known speech given in 1987 by a hero of the Republican party, Ronald Reagan.
Speaking from behind his desk at Camp David, President Reagan lays out the misconceptions about tariffs. In his eyes, while imposing tariffs on foreign imports looks patriotic by protecting American products and workers, these effects are fleeting. In the long run, such trade bulwarks hurt American families because they encourage escalatory economic policies from international partners. Therefore, increasing propensity for trade wars and abrupt economic adjustments. As a result, markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries which power American communities suffer, and unemployment surges.
In a stroke of his classic ‘act first, think later’ style, President Trump immediately responded to Canada’s ad campaign via social media, where he threatened a 10% increase in tariffs on Canada. Additional rambling posts littered with all caps portrayed Canada as an economic enemy. Additionally, Trump asserted that the video of Reagan was completely fake and tariffs are vital to our national security; two assertions that are misleading or complete lies in and of themselves. Trump concluded with announcing an end to all trade negotiations with Canada, which have since reopened following an expected apology from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Had someone shown President Reagan frameworks like Trump’s “Liberation Day,” which imposed tariffs on every notable partner with the U.S., he would’ve warned of the dangerous economic situation Americans find themselves in today. Tariffs on vital industries such as steel, aluminum, and soybeans are increasing pressures on businesses and farmers, creating spikes in unemployment and financial insecurity.
As a result, consumer sentiment is nearing record lows, but higher income Americans are still spending, causing surges in stock indexes. U.S. stock trends are boosted by expectations of Fed rate cuts, massive AI investments, and solid returns for America’s largest companies. However, despite market optimism, macro indicators show slowing economic growth, creating concern amongst many analysts about an impending recession.
Symbolism on the Diamond
Speaking to reporters in South Korea, Prime Minister Carney took a page out of Billy Bean’s Moneyball. Carney remarked ” “you don’t need the big payroll” and “you don’t need to be the big American team to win [or make it to] the World Series.” While I could write an entire post on why this makes baseball a unique proponent of democracy, I’ll focus on the sentiments which underpin Carney’s comments.
The World Series this year was a matter of national pride for both countries. In the eyes of Trump, the Dodgers were not only playing to preserve the prestige of American baseball teams but also to display Canadian weakness. However, what the seven-game matchup showed argues against these beliefs as well as the administration’s rhetoric.
At the same time the U.S. military is conducting strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela against alleged drug traffickers without due process and ICE agents are arresting hardworking immigrants, a team composed of players from Japan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and red and blue states demonstrated remarkable teamwork and talent to win baseball’s biggest series. That is the American dream—what this country should, and always has, stood for: a nation of immigrants embracing each other’s strengths and imperfections to unite toward a shared goal, not the alarmist, racist, and xenophobic policies of the current administration.
The Blue Jays were playing for even more than the Dodgers. They sought to show the American public that Canada possesses immense pride and resolve worthy of respect. The Trump administration has repeatedly belittled Canada, despite the rich history and friendship shared between the Washington and Ottawa. Canada has made invaluable contributions to the United States; from storming the beaches of Normandy and providing significant aid during the COVID-19 pandemic to something as benign as Tim Hortons’ expansion into the U.S. Canadians have not, and will not, forget how much they have done to support the United States, so they take President Trump’s comments and policies personally, as they should. These nationalist sentiments carried over into the series, marked by intense play, packed games, and clear messaging from Canadian fans and media about America.
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