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Donald Trump’s inflationary tariffs and inflammatory statements crossed a line for many Canadians, who won’t be crossing the border on ‘sportscursions’
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There may be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Canadians in Seattle watching the Toronto Blue Jays pay their annual visit to the Mariners in May; at the start line of the iconic Boston Marathon on April 21; in Buffalo for Sabres NHL hockey and Bills NFL football games; and Detroit for the Red Wings, Lions and Tigers.
Proximity and an open border has long spurred these and many other southern sportscursions. But the chilling of the economic and political climate in North America suggests there won’t be as many Canadians in any of those places this year.
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There is no definitive accounting, of course, but Jeff Heatley, a 45-year-old material handler from Surrey, B.C., tells a pretty common tale these days. His six-person group cancelled plans to spend a weekend in Seattle to see his beloved Blue Jays. It was not a decision taken lightly.
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“Even when the Jays were awful, I still looked forward to going down with friends to see my favourite team lose more often than not,” he explained in an email. “When I met my now wife, she started coming down with me; sometimes for a single game, now for a fun weekend getaway. Occasionally, we take our nine-year-old daughter (Beth) as well, but the majority of the time it’s a chance for us and some friends to have a child-free weekend in a beautiful stadium, in a fun city.
“This year, we and two other couples booked a hotel in downtown Seattle, organized babysitters and arranged to all drive down from Surrey to Seattle for the weekend. We were all very excited.
“Then, the president of the United States stepped in. We mulled it over for a couple of weeks earlier this year, thinking maybe the rhetoric would die down and he would move onto actually doing his job, and our two countries could resume being friendly. It wasn’t to be, however, and we unanimously decided to cancel. It sucks. We just couldn’t do it.”
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They will do something else, somewhere else, like so many Canadians, sports fans or otherwise, have decided.
Donald Trump’s inflationary tariffs and inflammatory statements — calling former prime minister Justin Trudeau the governor of America’s 51st state — crossed a line, and in protest many Canadians won’t be crossing that border. So, it’s elbows up, air travel down. Bye, America. Buy Canadian.
And as much as the auto industry will soon feel the margin squeeze of tariffs, a quiet Canadian boycott is already eroding U.S. tourism numbers and revenue.
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“While we do not have specific data on Canadians cancelling trips to the U.S. for sports-related tourism, Flight Centre Canada has reported a 40 per cent drop in leisure bookings to the U.S. in February 2025 compared to the same month last year,” spokesperson Amra Durakovic said in an email. “Additionally, 20 per cent of pre-existing U.S. trips over the past three months were cancelled, with many travellers opting for alternative destinations such as Mexico, Portugal and the Caribbean.
“Sports travel is considered a niche category, with only 10 per cent of Canadians identifying it as a top motivator in 2024,” Durakovic said, which means it ranks well behind beach vacations.
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“However, it shows promise among younger travellers, as over one-third of Gen Z and millennials express an interest in sports-focused trips. Similarly, 48 per cent of Canadians planning travel in 2025 are likely to prioritize major events, including concerts and sporting matches, under the right circumstances.”
These are not even close to the right circumstances, and the sorry state of affairs could mean long-term pain for the big business of sports. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told Reuters that the trade tensions were concerning and could have an impact on the league’s business. His comments followed the announcement on April 2 of the 12-year, $11-billion deal between the NHL and Rogers Communications to secure media rights for the games across all platforms in Canada.
In early February, the U.S. Travel Association issued a dire warning. “New tariffs on Canada could impact Canadian visitation to and spending in the United States. Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. A 10-per-cent reduction in Canadian travel could mean two million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses.”
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New York City bus tour operator Matt Levy told CTV News the decline in Canadian reservations has already been “catastrophic” for his business. They are also feeling the pinch in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where Canadians provide 30 to 40 per cent of the area’s tourism revenues annually. Hotel bookings in U.S. border cities are down, according to data analytics firm CoStar Group. For a four-week period through the end of January and most of February, demand for rooms decreased by eight per cent year-over-year in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and 12 per cent in Bellingham, Wash., about 80 kilometres south of Vancouver.
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Paula Roberts-Banks has finished the Boston Marathon 12 times since 2008, when she started making the trek an annual event. She was there in 2013 when two terrorists detonated a pair of bombs near the finish line, killing three people and injuring 500 others. Roberts-Banks was unharmed, but the event has never seemed quite the same, even as the artist, writer and photographer from Rosseau, Ont. continued to make the pilgrimage. She registered again last September and was granted a spot in the field of 30,000, but won’t be pounding the pavement this time. She will miss the running friends she sees only in Boston, but said she has “soured” on America and its politics.
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“Once November rolled around, once Trump was elected, I just realized that 50 per cent of the people in the States voted this guy in. I really didn’t want to go and spend a week down in the States with that segment of the population,” she said.
Roberts-Banks felt strongly enough to write a first-person account of her decision for Canadian Running magazine. She said responses to her story from people on both sides of the border have been mostly supportive, and other Canadian runners said they had made similar decisions. But that doesn’t make it easy.
“It’s just with Boston, I’m not trying to make it particularly special or anything like that, but there is that sense of loss and of guilt because you have to try so hard to get there. And then you’re basically just throwing that away and basically taking somebody else’s spot as well.
“But a number of Canadians chimed in and said that they were either not doing Boston or not doing other races. One person said they changed from Twin Cities Marathon to doing the Toronto Marathon. So, it was largely a lot of people saying they were revising their plans and that they weren’t going to go to the States.”
A spokesperson for the Boston Athletic Association, which hosts the race, said their organization did not have a running count of competitors who had withdrawn. That’s because there is no formal process; you just don’t show up on race day.
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“If you don’t show up for Boston, you’re really the only person who knows that,” said Roberts-Banks. “It’s a massive race. And your friends will miss you or whatever but, I mean, people get injured, people get ill, people don’t make it to the starting line. And you know, you’re not there. That’s all.”
But that’s not all. It’s not nearly that easy. It is a decision that hurts her heart.
“Oh, very much so. I reconcile it with the fact that I’ve missed it before. I’ve been through that before, and I know what it’s like to miss it, so I’m kind of mentally ready for it. This year will be different because I could physically go. The other times I didn’t go was because either I was injured or something was going on in my family that just prevented me from going. But this time it’s a conscious decision. So that will be different. I feel like I’ll be ready, but I’ll also be very upset the day of.”
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When National Football League training camps open in July, Chris Plouffe will also feel a sense of loss. It was an aspiration to become a season-ticket holder and Plouffe loves the community that he and wife, Jenna, and their Canadian friends have built with the fans from Buffalo, Albany, Rochester and Atlanta who sit near them in Highmark Stadium, home of the Bills.
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It’s estimated that 15 per cent of the Buffalo stadium is filled with Canadian fans, the result of efforts by BIlls’ team owners to target Toronto and the southern Ontario market to help build the fan base. That becomes even more important with a new stadium currently under construction, scheduled to open in July 2026.
Plouffe has held a one-third share of four tickets for three years, but there won’t be a fourth. At least, not this season. “I really enjoyed sharing that camaraderie with these random people, because I do feel that a Bills game does have a very community-based vibe,” said Plouffe, a 39-year-old from Etobicoke, Ont. “You’re huddled around people very close to you. So, it’s very much always been in my nature to just high-five people around me. And now that it’s the same people, it’s been like, OK, I got to know them a little bit more and talk to them. I wouldn’t say necessarily make friends, but just the idea of the camaraderie of seeing the same people and you talk about the same things.”
Plouffe cannot abide Trump’s blatant disrespect for Canada, and decided to take a personal stand. He will re-direct the $2,000 he would have spent on those tickets, perhaps to trips inside Canada or membership in a curling club.
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“It was a tough decision. I had thought about it a lot. It was, ‘do we keep them and sell them?’ But then it kind of came down to how many other Canadians are going to do this? We’re seeing a lot of that ‘buy Canadian’ movement. And for myself, if I’m going to be treated this way, being Canadian, I will want my money to (be spent) in Canada and not go to the States. So, as of right now, I’m not looking into buying them again in the future. Mind you, this could all change. It could all change if the respect is back by next year. I don’t know for sure. It’s how I’ll feel.”
It was and will be a personal decision, and Plouffe isn’t judging anyone who decides to keep going to the United States this year, regardless of their reason or circumstances.
“We don’t have kids. I know with kids, families, people are talking about cancelling vacations to Disneyland and things. I totally understand if someone doesn’t want to do that because it’ll disappoint their kids. I think that’s totally fair. And same thing, maybe if they want to go see a sporting event with their kid who loves the Bills, they can do a Bills game. I don’t think it’s right to chastise everybody for how to act.
“Having said that, do I feel like I’m doing my part? It’s a small part that I can do. I have money that I can spend and I’m lucky enough to be full-time employed and have this expendable income. So, I will do my part to spend that and keep that income in Canada as much as possible. I think it’s really good to support people that are trying to do things more Canadian, but again, not to be hostile towards them if they don’t. I hate the idea that ‘you’re a hypocrite unless you drop everything.’ You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to do little things that can build up and hopefully it just shows that, as a whole, Canada is strong.” He said he empathizes with people in Buffalo whose living depends in part on Canadian tourism.
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“Those people are going to be hurt by this too. I really hate that because again, I’ve been treated nothing but nicely and kindly. And I love doing the Bills games, buying the food down there, hanging out with other people. This is probably going to hurt the Bills a bit too, and that sucks because, again, I love everything about the Buffalo Bills and being part of that community,” Plouffe said.
Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, told Canadian media that cross-border travel dropped 14 per cent in February, and the area depends on Canadians for about 35 to 40 per cent of its total tourism. And it’s not just the Sabres and the BIlls counting on Canadians to help fill their seats. The Buffalo Bisons, a Triple -A baseball team affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays, calls Ontario fans “part of their herd,” and offers Canadian-at-par deals at their home park Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. In 2020-21, the Jays played 49 MLB games at Sahlen Field, and helped pay for renovations prior to the 2021 season.
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There is a much larger community of people in St. George, Utah, who stage and participate in the world’s largest annual multi-sport event for people aged 50 and up. The Huntsman World Senior Games runs over a two-week period each October, encompasses 40 sports and attracts 12,000 competitors, mostly from around the United States. However, weekend warriors from Canada comprise the next largest contingent, about 10 to 15 per cent of participants each year, according to CEO Kyle Case.
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He said teams’ registration opened Jan. 1 and appears to be on a normal, healthy pace.
“Obviously, looking at the political climate, January 1st was before the inauguration so there wasn’t much reason to have concern at all. Since then, we’ve put registration for (individual) athletes on March 1st and to be honest, right now registrations are really looking fine. I will say that we have received a handful of notices from some of our friends from Canada who have indicated some of their concern or frustrations. It’s a little bit early in the game, but at least at this point, I wouldn’t say that we’ve seen a significant trend,” Case continued.
“The mission of our organization is to foster worldwide peace, health and friendship, and so from that standpoint for us, independent of political climates or speeches or rhetoric or whatever it is, our mission remains the same. We have an open arms invitation for anyone everywhere.”
In the Games’ 35-plus-year run, that policy has included athletes from Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq. “We’ve hosted athletes from all around the world even in the midst of political disagreements. We feel strongly that the best way forward is to just set aside the politics and come and be a part of something pretty amazing and get to know people from all around the world and recognize that independent of politics, we’re all people, we all love sports, we love to hang out, we love to have a great time and take care of ourselves. We’re going to keep our eye on the political discussion for sure, but right now, this early in the game, I would say that we haven’t seen a significant registration trend but of course we’re aware of what’s happening and excited to welcome our friends from around the world, including and especially from Canada.”
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Phil Presakarchuk of Edmonton has been to St. George many times for the slow-pitch tournament. This year, he’s taking two teams in two age categories and will stay for two weeks, enjoying the sunshine, competition and camaraderie. The vacation will cost him about CAD $2,000, and he has no problem spending that kind of money in the U.S. this year, regardless of politics or economics.
“For me, it’s my annual trip. I really enjoy going down there. Outside of playing ball, it’s a very good social event for me, so I fully plan on going.”
There are 400 slow-pitch teams registered and another 120 on the waiting list, so there will be no shortage of goodwill and good games. They play mostly at a well-appointed, seven-field complex, and Presakarchuk and his teammates stay at an affordable hotel in Mesquite, Nev., which is a 40-minute drive from St. George.
“It’s at least a one-star hotel,” he laughed. “But you know what? We have a hot tub about 10 steps away. We’ve got a pool 10 steps away. And they’ve got food there that is, in my mind, exceptional.”
Presakarchuk imports medical equipment from the United States, and he talks to American counterparts on a regular basis.
“I’m not sure who is advising Trump, but they’re hurting themselves. I think some of the swing states that actually voted for Trump are saying, ‘boy, what did we do?’ because everything is more expensive for them now.
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“These tariffs are causing a lot of grief on both sides — well, mainly our side of the border — but they’re not happy with it, like we are. They see their fuel prices going up, their grocery prices, everything. So, I think it boils down to one individual and a few of his close gophers, you might say. But the people in general are almost apologetic. They don’t want to see it happen, either.”
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Where the dollar is right now, and then you add in everything that’s going on, you know what, I’m going to find something else to do
Shaun Ayotte, Edmonton sports fan
Shaun Ayotte of Edmonton is a big sports fan who has been to about a dozen NFL games in Seattle. He was going to take advantage of a friend’s connections to Eagles’ ownership this year to take a long-delayed trip to Philadelphia. A buddy’s sister-in-law is a special assistant to Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Eagles.
“We had a crew of us who were going to do it, and we planned to do it in November, and with everything that has happened in the U.S., we kind of pulled back,” said Ayotte. “Our buddy lives in Atlanta, and he’s kind of a pro-Trump guy. We just don’t feel right doing it, and it’s a shame, because I don’t know if we’ll ever do it now, and it would have been a great opportunity. There would have been a few perks involved with the connection that we had, but none of us feel like doing it.
Ayotte said there is also an economic consideration for him, given the sad state of currency exchange rates for Canadians.
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“Where the dollar is right now, and then you add in everything that’s going on, you know what, I’m going to find something else to do. Let’s go to Mexico and sit on the beach. Or, as summer comes up, maybe let’s stay home and have a trip or two around Alberta and B.C., or something like that.
“I don’t know how good the Blue Jays are going to be this year, maybe let’s go to Toronto and catch a game there, where you stay in Canada, and you don’t have to worry about the exchange. I think this summer is going to be quite a bit different for a lot of people.”
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I’ve got a sister in Detroit…. and I said I hope everything goes well for you down there because I’m not going to come see you for four years
Bud Vallee, Burlington, Ont., sports fan
Some of those people will be mourning the loss of their usual holiday plans, and some won’t. Bud Vallee, a self-professed baseball fanatic, falls into the latter group. The 67-year-old retiree from Burlington, Ont. said he won’t be setting foot in Trump’s America, and it won’t bother him in the slightest.
“I’ve got a sister in Detroit. She was over around Christmas, and I said I hope everything goes well for you down there because I’m not going to come see you for four years.”
He skipped spring training in Florida, where he often went to watch the Jays, Rays and Phillies. He won’t be making weekend trips to watch ball games in Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh or Chicago, as he has done in the past. His decision was 100-per-cent political, and he won’t be changing his mind.
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“I’m in a (fantasy) baseball league, and there’s only three Canadians and 17 Americans, and there’s probably six or seven Trump supporters. For the most part, politics stays out of our league, but I always get messages from a lot of the other team owners saying, ‘hey, sorry about this. I don’t support this at all.’
“It’s just the attack on our sovereignty. You know, the 51st state (B.S.), that’s just Trump yapping off about something just to try to stir up the chaos. But I think he does have a plan to try to economically squeeze and starve Canada into submission. I don’t think he ever thought there would be a 51st state possibility, but he also thought he could bring us to our knees and pretty much make us slave suppliers to his industry.”
Vallee has already decided how to better spend his time and money. “Well, for instance, this was February, we went to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and checked into the Temple Gardens, which is a hot thermal spa. And we had it coordinated so we could walk up the street and see a Moose Jaw Warriors hockey game. We’d never been to a Western Hockey League or Ontario Hockey League game before. So, that was an experience.”
He owns season tickets for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and said he’ll attend some Jays games in Toronto. He’ll do his thing the way he wants to, and doesn’t really care what everybody else in Canada is going to do.
“I have no trouble making my own views said, why I won’t go. But as far as anybody else’s freedoms, that’s entirely up to them.”
dbarnes@postmedia.com
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