The Blue Jays built a baseball culture that belongs to all of Canada

What if the Dallas Cowboys actually were 'America's Team?' The lone team playing a sport that is mostly native to another country, while competing against 29 other markets, all of which requires a passport to get to. The marketing power of the Cowboys as "America's Team" has certainly created an exceptionally strong brand, with the franchise being valued at $13 billion. But they aren't really a team that brings the country together. The Toronto Blue Jays? Now they unite Canada.

The Blue Jays are Canada's team, both literally and figuratively. The only non-American team, participating in America's pastime in the only market outside of the U.S.'s borders. While baseball itself is still not as popular as hockey, the Blue Jays are one of the most recognizable brands from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Canada's pastime? Inside the Blue Jays' baseball culture America doesn’t see

Even before the Blue Jays spectacular run to the World Series this year, the Blue Jays are what Canadians are paying attention to during the summer. Thanks to the team's owner, Rogers Communications, Blue Jays games can be seen or heard across the country through their radio or television network. 11.8 million tuned in to see Game 7 of the ALCS and watch the Blue Jays advance to the World Series.

The only time you're not able to get those games is when they are on Apple TV+ or some other subscription service. And when people can't get their Blue Jays games, they'll tell you about it; just look at the outrage at the possibility of their potential AL East division-clinching game being broadcasted on Apple TV+ earlier this year.

The Blue Jays are a summer tradition for so many people in the country. It's what they are listening to while enjoying family time in Ontario's cottage country, or while working on the farm in the prairie provinces. It's what people plan their summer road trips around, whether it's a quick stop over the border for fans in British Columbia heading to Seattle, or folks from Quebec heading into Boston and New York.

And while it's true not every Canadian is a Blue Jays fan, it's also true that not every Blue Jays fan resides in Canada. Tune into a Blue Jays postgame show and you’ll often hear from callers who are either expats sharing stories of following the team from the U.S. or Europe, or lifelong fans who have supported the Jays from abroad since the very beginning.

In fact, when MLB had to pull a two-game series for the Blue Jays and Yankees in London, England (originally scheduled for June 13-14, 2026), there was a notable outburst of disappointment from Blue Jays fans living across the pond.

The Blue Jays may never be a global brand like the Yankees or Dodgers, with those caps being worn throughout the world, the Blue Jays do have a hold on the hearts of baseball fans in Canada, and major brands try to capitalize on it. In fact, Tim Hortons changed their coffee cups this week to have a large Blue Jays logo on the side. The entire cup was draped in the Blue Jays powder blue color.

I’ve lost count of how many times the Blue Jays’ “Always Coca-Cola” jingle from the ’90s has popped up across social media since Toronto clinched the American League pennant. It's proof of the lasting power of a brand that ties itself to a team’s success. (Apologies in advance if the song below gets stuck in your head.)

Every time the Blue Jays clinched, whether the division title, the ALDS or AL pennant, it was national news. When the Blue Jays are playing good baseball, it's a big story, not only because it's Canada's only team, but because it's a sport that has been embraced as a part of the country's identity. Canadians want to prove that they are good at more than just hockey, and the Blue Jays make them feel a part of that.

Even with only one Canadian on the roster (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.), every player feels the embrace of an entire country pulling for them — knowing they’re just four wins away from being immortalized alongside Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and the rest of the heroes from 1992 and ’93.