Sports as a unifying force in Canada
By: Vincent Tran
Published on: December 5th, 2024
A sports team and its athletes heading to a major competition or tournament is one of the few things that helps bring a whole country together.
As issues such as politics, war, and differing beliefs tend to cause a separation and divide, sports can bring people of all walks of life together and unite under one team or flag.
While sometimes we may have our differences in sports, mostly at the club level, we tend to put those feelings aside and get behind the nation when they’re about to compete against other countries in the world.
Sports are a great outlet for many people and can make you temporarily forget about all the real-world issues out there. Things that cause us stress in our daily lives become secondary when everyone roots for their favourite teams or athletes.
For newcomers, sports can be a great way to feel more Canadian and welcomed in your new home. Whenever there’s a major sporting event going on, there’s a strong sense of unity amongst everyone as they cheer on their favourite teams and athletes together.
On an international level, this unity is arguably the most prominent.
Two of the world’s biggest international soccer tournaments occurred this year: the European Championships (EURO 2024) and Copa America. Canada finished fourth in their first-ever appearance at the latter tournament.
The Paris Summer Olympic Games are also another major sporting event happening this year. We can look forward to seeing many Canadian athletes competing against some of the world’s best in their respective sports.
Time and time again, we see people come out in droves to root for their country on the international level. Fans of all different nations flock to these events to support their athletes as watching them brings a sense of national pride.
Major sporting events, both international and domestic, draw lots of attention and discussions from people all around the world. They are phenomenal at bringing millions of people together, physically or otherwise, creating a feeling of excitement among supporters.
EURO 2024 in Germany saw record attendance numbers with over 2.6 million people going to matches in 10 host cities, while the 2024 Copa America had an average attendance of over 44,000 people each match and a total of more than 1.5 million people attending matches across 14 stadiums in the United States.
The 2024 Paris Olympics also expect around 2.3 to 3.1 million fans to attend Olympic events during the period of the Olympic competition from July 26 to August 11.
Although the 2020 Tokyo Olympics did not have any spectators due to COVID-19, Canadians still cheered on their athletes from home and showed their support in any way possible.
Canadians also got to witness many of their athletes win Olympic gold medals, such as Andre de Grasse winning the men’s 200m final and the Canadian women’s soccer team winning the Olympic gold medal for the first time in Canadian history.
Fans at home also welcomed their Olympians back from Tokyo. The Canadian women’s soccer team even went on a “Celebration Tour” across the country, displaying their Olympic gold medals as they played matches against other nations in Canada.
While international competitions tend to bring many people together from around the world, we can also see this unity at domestic level. Canada is blessed to have successful clubs and athletes across many sports that bring us together in support of our teams and fellow Canadians.
In 2019, when the Toronto Raptors won their first-ever NBA championship, the team’s historic playoff run brought record numbers of people to the city of Toronto.
Over 1 million people were present in Toronto for the Raptors’ championship parade through the city, while thousands gathered at “Jurassic Park”, located just outside of the Scotiabank Arena, throughout the playoff run. There were even public viewing zones in other cities in Ontario and across the nation where tens of thousands of Raptors fans got together to watch the Raptors make Canadian sports history.
Canada is a hockey nation. Thousands of fans gather year after year to root for their favourite Canadian NHL teams throughout the regular season and playoffs.
We recently saw the Edmonton Oilers make it to the Stanley Cup final and came close to making history after coming back from down 0-3 in the series to force Game 7, eventually losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.
Had the Oilers pulled off the miraculous comeback, they would’ve been only the second team in NHL history to come from 0-3 down in the finals to win the Stanley Cup after the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. They also would’ve been the first Canadian NHL team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Sports are a very powerful force around the world and in Canada. They can do so much for us. Sports brings people together and helps others feel welcomed as part of a nation.