The Buffalo Bills inaugural regular season home opener couldn't have gone much better.
asserted
opener → go → ?
The brand new Highmark Stadium was buzzing from hours before the game in the parking lot with fans crashing through foldable tables, to the final whistle in a convincing win over Detroit.
asserted
fans → buzz → Detroit
The one stain on the night was how it started.
asserted
it → start → night
The team decided to honor neighboring Canada by singing their national anthem.
asserted
team → decide → anthem
To many fans it felt strange and out of place to sing a foreign nation's anthem when there was no Canadian team involved in the game.
asserted
it → feel → game
I wholeheartedly agree.
asserted
I → agree → ?
The Buffalo Bills have a longstanding relationship with the people north of the border.
asserted
Bills → have → border
The team has a substantial footprint in Canada, with many fans making the short drive to attend Bills games for decades.
asserted
fans → have → decades
The organization even had a 2026 draft pick announced from Canada on the broadcast.
asserted
pick → have → broadcast
Bills owner Terry Pegula also owns the Buffalo Sabres, who sing "O Canada" before every home game, regardless if they are playing a Canada-based team.
asserted
they → own → team
I still don't believe this was the right decision on Thursday night.
asserted
this → believe → night
While the Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian alternative rock band sung a subpar rendition of "O Canada", the broadcast showcased a massive Canadian flag on the field by one end zone and an American flag on the other.
asserted
broadcast → sing → other
It felt odd to watch the inaugural regular season game of America's newest stadium, featuring American teams exclusively, go out of their way to honor a foreign nation.
asserted
game → feel → nation
Honestly, it came across more like a marketing ploy and virtue signaling more than anything.
asserted
it → come → anything
I know I'm not alone in that sentiment.
asserted
I → know → sentiment
Many fans expressed confusion online, including Canadians, and even Fox News Contributor and US Marine Joey Jones scolded the decision.
asserted
Jones → express → decision
Jones said, "We play the [United States] National Anthem not to honor fans who enjoy entertainment, but to honor the men and women serving this country, providing freedom and security so we can do that during a time of war."
asserted
we → say → war
Jones went on to provide a history lesson to the Bills and the National Football League saying, "We play our national anthem because in 1918 we entered WWI, and they wanted to honor a Navy player that was out on the field.
asserted
that → go → field
They wanted to honor that our sons and some daughters were fighting a war in trenches in some of the ugliest warfare every seen in our lives.
asserted
sons → want → lives
This isn't about not liking our neighbors to the north.
asserted
This → like → north
It's not about refusing to be friendly.
asserted
It → refuse → ?
It's incredible to see so many Canadians enjoy our sports, but honoring their nation by singing their national anthem goes too far, especially when no Canadian teams are involved.
asserted
teams → see → anthem
You can honor the Canadian Bills fans and season ticket holders without honoring the nation as a whole.
asserted
You → honor → whole
If the Bills wanted to give a special shoutout to Canadian fans pregame, thanking them for their support and dedication over the years, I'd have no problem with it, but going as far as honoring another nation, is borderline disrespectful to the history of our anthem and those that have fought and died to defend its rights and freedoms.
asserted
that → want → rights
The funny and ironic aspect of all of this, is the fact that Ford Field (Lions stadium) is just as close to the Canadian border as Highmark Stadium is, yet they have never sung "O Canada" in order to "honor" their prominent Canadian fan base.
I don't see this as much of a virtue signal as singing "Lift Every Voice," also known as the Black National Anthem, but it's a close second.
asserted
it → sing → Anthem
When American teams are playing an American sport on American soil, we should stick to honoring our nation.
asserted
we → play → nation
America has one anthem and if foreign sports fans want to come over the border to enjoy these games, they are welcome, we're glad they're here, but they shouldn't expect or want us to honor their nation through songs of allegiance.
asserted
us → have → allegiance
The Bills are said to only perform the Canadian National Anthem for their home opener.
asserted
Bills → say → opener
Let's hope that is the case.
asserted
that → let → ?
The Aporia
