Baseball fever is sweeping Canada as the Toronto Blue Jays claw back into the spotlight, posting a 13-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night after two losses at home. The victory keeps the Jays on track for their first World Series appearance since 1993, drawing fans far beyond the usual baseball audience.New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows two-in-five Canadians (39%) are following the team closely during this playoff run, rising to 49% in Ontario and 53% in Toronto. Overall, 69% of Canadians are paying at least some attention to the Jays, up from 53% under normal circumstances..But while national interest is high, opinions differ on whose team the Jays really are. Just 45% of Canadians say the team belongs to the country as a whole, while 43% insist it’s Toronto’s team. Only 5% point to Ontario as the core identifier. Outside of Toronto, Canadians are more likely to claim the Jays as “Canada’s team” (49%) than their local squad (33%).Fans who follow the sport more closely tend to embrace the national identity. About 77% of the most avid supporters say the Jays represent Canada, alongside 72% of those who follow “closely,” leaving casual fans more deferential to Toronto.As the Jays chase a return to their glory days of the early ’90s, 15% of followers believe they have a very good chance of winning the World Series, while 69% think they have a decent shot but stop short of naming them favourites.
