Blue Jays fans turn ire towards team after being asked not to boo

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The Blue Jays can tell their fans not to boo, but they can’t stop a sellout Rogers Centre crowd from making their feelings known.

Prior to the opening ceremony of Thursday’s season opener, the Jays sent a clear suggestion to fans not to voice their displeasure during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.

It did not end well in multiple ways.

More than a smattering of the 40,000-plus in attendance voiced their displeasure, essentially directed at U.S. president Donald Trump. As the night wore on, the crowd got more testy as the home team was thumped 12-2 by the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

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“Opening Day is about gathering together with friends and family, cheering on your team and sharing the love we all share this game,” read the preachy directive, which also was aired over the stadium PA system just prior to the playing of the national anthems. “Throughout history, baseball has served as a place for hope during times of turmoil.

“The ballpark has been a place to get away and escape from the challenges we face in everyday life. It’s a special day for all of us — the fans, the players and coaches. We ask that you please be respectful of the day and the moment.”

While the derision wasn’t super loud and ugly, it could be heard clearly throughout the stadium. The loudest boos came later in the evening after the Jays had surrendered their fifth and sixth home runs during a deflating 12-2 loss to the Orioles.

Meanwhile, the statement itself offended some fans, who voiced their displeasure to the Toronto Sun.

“I can’t really come here and forget about sexism, racism or homophobia,” one person in attendance wrote. “This isn’t an escape. It’s as continuation of our society.”

It’s also a message delivered by the same organization that in 2023 was planning to allow pitcher Anthony Bass catch the ceremonial pitch on Pride Night just days after he had infuriated so many with his anti-LGBTQ+ posts on social media.

Bass subsequently was released by the team, so his participation in the ceremony didn’t happen. But the damage by then had been done.

The mere idea of being told how to behave didn’t sit well with some.

“As a long-time supporter of the Blue Jays, I find it alarming and wrong that the organization would send this message to its paying customers,” a fan told the Sun, also via email. “Just a few years ago, this was a management group that supported Anthony Alford and Cavan Biggio in their peaceful protest (taking a knee) against systemic racism by police during the national anthem.

“It was convenient then to be on-board during that time of social discourse.

“And yet now, with Canada under clear attack from our neighbours to the south and in a real crisis because of it, why is it that this same organization is telling fans they are not to use their voices publicly where it will be seen and heard domestically and abroad?”