The 51st State of Play: What Happens to Sports if Canada Joins the U.S.?
So, let’s say the impossible happens: Canada decides to slap a few more stars onto Old Glory and become America’s 51st state. The economy, the legal system, and social identity would all shift dramatically—but let’s get to the really important stuff: What happens to sports?
The Invention of Basketball: A Canadian No More?
Dr. James Naismith, the good ol’ Canadian lad who invented basketball in 1891, might have to hand over his honorary maple syrup card. The moment Canada becomes the 51st state, America can officially claim basketball as an all-American invention with no asterisk. Goodbye, trivia bragging rights! Even worse, this means the Raptors’ 2019 championship goes from Canada’s first NBA title to Massachusetts’ northern cousin’s first NBA title.
The Hockey Rivalry That Vanishes Overnight
If there’s one thing that unites Canadians, it’s their shared hatred of Team USA in international hockey. The Canada-USA hockey rivalry is legendary, fueled by Olympic heartbreaks, miracle on ice moments, and Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal in 2010. But what happens when Canada is no longer “Canada” but just a really cold extension of Minnesota?
Well, the U.S. medal count at the Winter Olympics skyrockets overnight. No longer would Canada and the U.S. face off in gold medal matches—it would be an intrasquad scrimmage. And let’s be honest, Hockey Canada would just turn into USA Hockey North, and everyone would be forced to pretend they love Team America’s red, white, and blue jerseys.
Olympic Medal Count: The U.S. Gets an Instant Boost
Canada has racked up over 500 Olympic medals throughout history, but guess what? If Canada merges with the U.S., all those achievements now belong to America. Suddenly, those legendary Canadian Olympians like Donovan Bailey, Catriona Le May Doan, and Andre De Grasse all become U.S. champions. Americans would be thrilled—not that they needed more medals to begin with.
The worst part? Canada would never again get to host another Olympics as its own country. Vancouver 2010? That wasn’t a Canadian Olympics—it was just the Pacific Northwest’s mountain retreat games. Montreal 1976? Just another underfunded American sporting event.
Would Any Canadian Teams Survive?
Here’s where things get messy. Right now, Canadian teams in leagues like the NHL, NBA, and MLB deal with different tax systems, currency issues, and contract negotiations compared to their American counterparts. If Canada becomes part of the U.S., that all evens out—but at what cost?
The NHL: A U.S.-Only League?
The NHL would lose its entire Canada vs. U.S. identity. Canadian franchises like the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and Oilers would just be struggling mid-market American teams forced to compete with the New Yorks and L.A.s of the world. Winnipeg? Sorry, bud, you're now just Northern North Dakota.
The NBA: Raptors? What Raptors?
The Toronto Raptors have always been the NBA’s lone Canadian team. But once Toronto becomes part of America, the only thing making them unique disappears. With their status as the league’s quirky international team gone, would they even survive relocation rumors? The Seattle Raptors has a weird ring to it, but hey, weirder things have happened.
Baseball: The Jays Become Just Another American Team
The Blue Jays’ claim to fame is that they’re the only Major League Baseball team outside the U.S. Take that away, and suddenly they’re just another mid-market team battling for relevance. Would Rogers Communications still care to keep them, or would they get shipped off to Charlotte or Nashville? If Montreal ever dreamed of bringing back the Expos, well, that dream is deader than a maple leaf in January.
The Big Winners? The U.S. (Obviously)
In the grand scheme of things, the biggest beneficiary of a Canada-America merger would be the U.S. Their Olympic dominance grows, their hockey superiority is unquestioned, and they inherit an entire country’s worth of sports talent. Meanwhile, Canada—er, Northern America—loses a piece of its national identity.
The Verdict
If Canada ever became the 51st state, sports wouldn’t be the same. Rivalries would disappear, Olympic records would be rewritten, and the uniqueness of Canadian teams would fade into just another chapter in American sports history. In short, it’d be the biggest blow to Canadian sports pride since the Maple Leafs’ last Stanley Cup win... oh wait, that was already tragic enough.