Posted on 09/17/2026 6:22:16 PM PDT by Optimist
NFL fans were left furious watching Thursday Night Football as the Canadian national anthem was played by the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills were hosting the first game at their new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium, facing the Detroit Lions in the first primetime Thursday night game of the new season.
Yet fans tuning in were surprised by an unusual break from tradition, as 'O Canada' was played by Toronto-based act Barenaked Ladies before actress and singer Auli'i Cravalho performed 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.
The Bills decided to make the gesture to Canada despite the ongoing tensions between the two countries
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But while it was a largely popular decision among local fans, it was not well received among many NFL fans elsewhere...
They were also playing Detroit, who has a lot of fans from Canada.
This pales in comparison to the number of times Canadians have booed the US Anthem in their stadiums in recent years.
“The Bills decided to make the gesture to Canada despite the ongoing tensions between the two countries”
Laura Ingraham wrote a book called “Shut up and sing”. In part of it, she referenced singers taking time to preach politics during their performances.
So...Shut up and play football.
Did fans that paid $300 for a ticket walk out of the new stadium?
Will the stadium be half empty for the next home game?
... and yet neither team was Canadian ... so why did that extra nod need to be given to Canada in the first place?
AI ... the Canadian national anthem is not routinely played before home NFL games by the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, or any other northern border franchise.
The Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team to routinely play “O Canada” before every home game this season, a new tradition starting with their September 17, 2026, home opener
The Lions are getting killed by the Bills. Lions defense is MIA.
Buffalo is a border town.
My son is watching the game, and I thought I heard them singing Oh Canada, and said to myself, WTF?? I asked my son why would they be singing the Canadian anthem before a football game in the United States. His response was, “probably because there’s a lot of Canadian fans watching. I said back to him, there’s likely a lot of British fans that watch these games too, but do we sing God save the King before the games?
LOL…the fact that the NFL is still around just shows how little the outrage over the kneeling and stuff really meant. People cling to their sports.
Buffalo is a border town
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Yup... both the Bills and the Sabres get a lot of Canadian fans.... In fact, I believe the Sabres play Oh Canada before every game and have been doing it since the ‘70s. Here is what happened in April when there was a mic problem with the singer.... https://www.facebook.com/CBCSports/posts/the-buffalo-crowd-stepped-up-to-sing-o-canada-after-a-mic-issue-sportsnet/1382025783969848/
Their new stadium cost $1.7 billion. New Yorkers paid $850 million of that. Then they sing O Canada.
Oops. It cost $2.1 billion not $1.7 billion. Sorry.
If anything it's a cynical attempt by the NFL to appease Canadian fans so they will keep spending their money in NFL stadiums.
With the NFL it's all about maximizing profits.
The Buffalo Exception
The Buffalo Sabres are the only U.S. franchise that plays “O Canada” before every single home game, no matter who they are playing. This long-standing tradition honors their large cross-border fan base in Southern Ontario and close geographic proximity to the Canadian border.
I have been to Sabres games and heard O Canada.
I have never been to a Bills game. My cousins up in Buffalo would give me a kidney, their house, kids and 401k before they would give me one Bills ticket.
The fans at the event seemed to have no problem with it. It was people online who were outraged, as people online often are.
I guess the Dodgers should be playing the Mexican national anthem too?
I saw that, how embarrassing. The new stadium was really something else and really stained itself. Promoting Canuckistan before your own country is unforgiveable.
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