The Buffalo Bills opened their new Highmark Stadium with a lopsided win over the Detroit Lions, but the pregame moment that’s dominating conversation isn’t the score. Before kickoff, the Bills had the Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian rock band, perform “O Canada” alongside the American anthem, even though no Canadian team was on the field.
The broadcast showed a large Canadian flag displayed at one end zone and an American flag at the other, part of what the team framed as a nod to its longtime Canadian fan base. The Bills have a well-documented following north of the border, and owner Terry Pegula’s other team, the Buffalo Sabres, sings “O Canada” before every home hockey game regardless of the opponent.
But for an NFL season opener between two American teams, on American soil, in a brand-new stadium, plenty of fans said the gesture felt out of place. Reaction online included confusion from both American and Canadian fans.
A Marine’s rebuke
Fox News contributor and U.S. Marine Joey Jones was among the most vocal critics of the decision. Jones pointed to the tradition’s origin, tying it to the 1918 debut of the national anthem at a sporting event during World War I.
“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,” Jones said.
“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. 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,” Jones said.
Critics note the inconsistency across the league. Detroit’s Ford Field sits roughly as close to the Canadian border as Highmark Stadium, yet the Lions have never sung “O Canada” to honor their own sizable Canadian fan base.
The Bills have indicated the Canadian anthem performance was a one-time gesture tied specifically to the home opener, not a plan for every game this season.
