O say can you jeer? Canucks anthem singer hits highs and lows of Trump backlash

When Agasha Mutesasira was asked to perform the national anthems for the Vancouver Canucks-Detroit Red Wings game Sunday at Rogers Arena, she had no way of predicting the terrible and wonderful reception that awaited her major sporting debut. 

On one hand, there were the many thousands of fans who joined in the singing of O Canada with an energy and enthusiasm rarely heard, thanks of course to pro-Canadian sentiments stirred up by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war.

In sharp contrast was The Star Spangled Banner, which tradition dictates goes first, drawing loud and lusty booing from the moment Mutesasira belted out the first words.

In short order, “O say can you see” became “O say can you jeer.”

“I was told that there was a likelihood that there would be boos,” Mutesasira said, speaking to CBC on Monday. “The Canucks production team did a good job of preparing me and letting me know, so it wasn’t something that caught me off guard.”

The Star Spangled Banner is getting a rough ride in stadiums and arenas across the country, perhaps the most direct expression of the anti-American sentiment sweeping Canada at this moment in history.

Canucks blogger and podcaster Lachlan Irvine posted that a better approach to the U.S. anthem would be to “just put on an instrumental and let the fans boo to their heart’s content.”

But some feel more strongly about the issue, including Canucks broadcaster Dan Riccio, who told CBC now is a good time for sports leagues everywhere to drop the national anthems, save at events that are truly nation versus nation.

“It’s really not needed. You watch the biggest soccer games in the world — Champions League and the Premier League — they play their [league] anthem, especially because so many players are internationals,” said Riccio, host of Canucks Central of Sportsnet 650. “[National anthems] don’t represent the players anyhow, so why would that even resonate with them?” 

Riccio’s anti-anthem opinion formed 20 years ago when he learned why Toronto Blue Jays slugger Carlos Delgado stayed in the dugout when God Bless America was played during the seventh inning at U.S. stadiums. 

“It was his way of protesting against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also the U.S. Navy was using his native Puerto Rico as a weapons testing ground,” said Riccio. “Until that point in my life, I hadn’t really thought about how national anthems can be so political.”

CBC reached out to the Vancouver Canucks to ask if team officials are considering changing the anthem tradition. Director of media relations Craig MacEwan would only say the club is “discussing things internally.”

Despite the extremes from the crowd on Sunday, Mutesasira delivered like a professional, overcoming a nagging worry that all the negative noise during the Star Spangled Banner would make her forget the lyrics. 

“I just acted like I was in my house singing it, and the rest was just background noise,” she said. “As a performer, there’s some things that you just don’t anticipate. And that was one of those things. But I was comforted in knowing that I’ve practised this so much.”

The young singer/songwriter says it was a thrill to perform on a night celebrating Black excellence and hopes there will be future opportunities, perhaps when cross-border politics have cooled off a little.

“Obviously, performers should be in an environment that’s encouraging, and they shouldn’t have to deal with that. But I’m also learning that you definitely don’t know what to expect,” she said.