ESPN host Pat McAfee is calling for a truce with Canadians after wrestling fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a WWE event in Canada.
Boos chorused through the Rogers Centre in Toronto during the WWE event Elimination Chamber, as 30,000 or so Canadian fans continued their alignment with mainstream liberal pundits by booing the American national anthem. The jeers are in response to the tariffs and trade war between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump.
Fans reacted far worse to the U.S. national anthem on Saturday night than they had during any instance of the 4 Nations Face-Off where Team Canada and Team USA played each other in hockey in Montreal.
ESPN host McAfee, who is also a commentator for the WWE, reacted to the boos during a pre-match segment and called Canada “terrible.”
“These are the most stacked [matches] that the WWE has ever had. Kind of sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing,” McAfee said as he stood up in a comedic rage. “But it’s gonna be a historic night for the WWE on the road to WrestleMania.”
McAfee followed up on his remarks on Monday, hoping to come to an understanding with the very same Canadian fans who had booed the anthem.
‘I called your country terrible … let’s shake hands.’
“There’s been some things said to me from Canadians that I, I guess I respect because of the passion that you have for your country, which I hope you understand that I was showing the same for mine. You booed my country. Now, I heard from a lot of Canadians, during the national anthem, obviously, the Rogers Centre, overwhelming boo. I mean, very loud boo,” McAfee recalled.
After explaining that his immediate gut reaction to anyone boing the American national anthem is “f*** you,” the former NFL punter said a lot of Canadians had asked him to look into why they have been booing. McAfee explained he did not understand why when Canadians hear the U.S. national anthem, they immediately think of the government’s decisions.
“I feel like anytime I think of Canada, I don’t think of what Justin Trudeau does. I don’t think immediately of Justin Trudeau’s decisions. I don’t think immediately of what Canada is doing in the political sphere. I think of the people of Canada,” he said on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Rather, McAfee said he thinks of “poutine” and “magical times” at Canadian casinos.
“I think about loonies and toonies in good times, and Mounties allowing teenagers to puke in their streets because maybe we’re a little bit overserved,” the host laughed. “I don’t think of Justin Trudeau.”
Calling for a verbal ceasefire, McAfee concluded, “I called your country terrible … let’s shake hands.”
Along with the recent international hockey tournament, Canadian crowds have trended toward booing “The Star-Spangled Banner” on frequent occasions. Similar instances occurred in Vancouver and Ottawa; Vancouver Canucks fans booed the U.S. national anthem before a game with the Detroit Red Wings in early February, as did Ottawa Senators fans before a game with the Minnesota Wild the next day.
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Fearless, Wwe, Pat mcafee, Tariffs, Trade war, Trump4, Trudeau, Sports
