NFL Fans Slam Shocking Canadian National Anthem Performance Before Game

NFL viewers reacted angrily during Thursday Night Football after the Canadian national anthem was performed before the Buffalo Bills’ game.

Buffalo welcomed the Detroit Lions for the first game at its new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium, marking the opening Thursday night primetime matchup of the new season.

The pregame ceremony took an unexpected turn when Toronto-based band Barenaked Ladies performed “O Canada.” Actress and singer Auli’i Cravalho then delivered “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Bills’ decision was seen as a gesture toward their large following in southern Ontario and Toronto, which is only about a two-hour drive from Buffalo. It came, however, amid continuing tensions between the United States and Canada.

Although many fans in the region welcomed the move, viewers elsewhere were puzzled by the inclusion of Canada’s anthem at a game being played on American soil.

The performance itself also became a major talking point, drawing a wave of criticism across social media.

Former NFL star Taylor Lewan summed up the surprise shared by many viewers, asking on social media: “We doing the Canadian National Anthem for TNF?”

Another viewer questioned why the Canadian anthem was being performed at an NFL game in the United States, while others described the decision as embarrassing.

“Why are we singing the Canadian National Anthem during TNF?” one person asked, adding that the move reflected weakness.

Some critics also questioned the need for the tribute, pointing out that the Bills are an American team and accusing the organization of prioritizing a so-called “woke” gesture.

One especially hostile post simply asked why the Canadian anthem was being performed when Buffalo is located in the United States.

The rendition itself received an equally harsh response, with viewers describing the performance as jarring and poorly executed.

“They butchered the anthem,” one commenter wrote. Another said the choice to perform “O Canada” was not the issue, but argued that the rendition was noticeably weak.

Cravalho’s performance of the American national anthem, by contrast, was greeted with loud applause as fireworks illuminated the area around the new Bills stadium.

This was not the first occasion on which the Bills have performed both national anthems at Orchard Park. Under the late owner Ralph Wilson, the team held an annual Canadian fan appreciation game, timed around Canadian Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October.

Those games ended roughly two decades ago. The Bills later played a run of regular-season contests in Toronto over six consecutive years, with the series concluding in 2013.

The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have had both the Canadian and American anthems performed before each game no matter the opponent in a tradition that began with their inception in 1970. The Bills and Sabres are now both owned by Terry Pegula.

During the NHL playoffs this spring, hockey fans memorably chimed in en masse by singing “O Canada” when anthem singer Cami Clune’s microphone stopped working.

The Sabres and Bills rely on Canadians to attend their games. Though recent numbers aren’t available, Canadians have made up as much as 15% of the Bills season-ticket base. Meantime, thousands of Canadians have filled the Sabres arena especially when the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens are playing.

Border crossings in Buffalo, however, have dropped at similar rates to other U.S. communities neighboring Canada since President Donald Trump returned to office with remarks about making Canada the 51st state. The nations are now in the midst of a trade war, with Trump antagonizing Canadians even further by recently using an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Canadian residents made 25% fewer return border crossings and spent about $2.4 billion (CA$3.3 billion) less on travel to the U.S. in 2025 than they had the year before, according to Canada’s national statistical agency, Statistics Canada.