Torontonians divided over the Jays being their city’s team or sharing with the rest of the country
October 16, 2025 – Baseball fans in Canada are riding a rollercoaster, as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back from two losses at home to the Seattle Mariners with a 13 to 4 win on Wednesday night. As the Jays look to advance to their first World Series since 1993, attention on the team has advanced well past regular ball fans.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds two-in-five Canadians following the team closely on this run (39%) – rising to half in Ontario (49%) and 53 per cent in Toronto. This, compared to a baseline of 22 per cent who say they normally follow Major League Baseball to this same level. The total number who are paying at least some attention to the team reaches seven-in-10 (69%), again a significant increase over the regular baseball-following population (53%).
That doesn’t, however, mean that everyone agrees on whose team this is in the broader context. Many have suggested that this is “Canada’s team”, but those the Jay’s home town are less willing to share. More than two-in-five (45%) say that this is Canada’s team, while 43 per cent say it’s Toronto’s team. Just five per cent claim that Ontario is the core identifier. The rest of Canada are more likely (49%) than not (33%) to lean toward saying the Jays are Canada’s team.
Those who follow the game more closely are more willing to say that this is Canada’s squad. Approaching four-in-five (77%) who are the most intense followers say this, alongside 72 per cent of those who follow “closely”, suggesting that those on the fringes of fandom are more deferential to the host city rather than claiming a stake in the team.
As the Jays try to get back to the glory of the early ’90s, 15 per cent of those following say they have a very good chance of winning it all. A large majority (69%) give them a “decent” shot but wouldn’t call them favourites.
INDEX
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Interest in Blue Jays doubles the baseline level of baseball fans
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Are they Canada’s team, or Toronto’s team?
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Fans optimistic about a World Series title
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A data blast from the past
Interest in Blue Jays doubles the baseline level of baseball fans
The Blue Jays rode the best record in the American League to a bye in the first round of the MLB playoffs, before dispatching the New York Yankees in four games in the Divisional round (note this survey was fielded during a period that included the final two games of that series and two off days). The challenge at hand now is the AL West champion Seattle Mariners, who at the time of release of this survey lead the ALCS two games to one.
The team has certainly captured the imagination of millions of fans already. Compared to the number who normally follow the MLB – about one-in-five – attention had already nearly doubled after the Yankees series:
Attention paid to baseball in this country is certainly secondary to hockey, with firm one-in-five regularly saying they are close followers of the MLB. This consistently rates as about half of the number of regular NHL fans:
Are they Canada’s team, or Toronto’s team?
Since 2004, the Blue Jays have been Canada’s lone major league team. And because of national broadcast rights held by Rogers, they are the most common team on Canada’s airwaves. The Blue Jays are evidently aware that their reach is nationwide. “You have one team for an entire country and a lot of things come with that,” said pitcher Kevin Gausman during the ALDS against the Yankees. “There’s a lot of extra pressure that comes with that, but there’s also a lot of love that comes with that from fans who might never even see you play in person. That’s the advantage we have being one team for a whole country.”
But what do Canadians think? Half (48%) consider the Blue Jays to be “Canada’s team”. Fewer – one-third (34%) – describe the Jays as “Toronto’s”. Few (8%) believe the Jays represent Ontario as a whole instead.
Quebecers, who may still retain loyalty to their departed Expos, are more likely than others across the country to describe the Blue Jays as Toronto’s only (48%):
There is also a reluctance from those living in the Greater Toronto Area to share the Jays. Those who live in the GTA are as likely to describe the Jays as Canada’s team (45%) as only theirs (43%). Outside of the GTA, there are more who believe the Jays represent the whole country (49%):
Among avid MLB watchers, the belief that the Jays represent all of Canada is higher (77%) than those who don’t regularly watch baseball (31%). Among different levels of MLB fans, the latter group is the only one that are more likely to describe the Jays as Toronto’s team (42%) than Canada’s (31%):
Fans optimistic about a World Series title
Those following the team are optimistic the Blue Jays can bring the World Series trophy back to Canada for the first time since the team won back-to-back world series in 1992 and 1993. Seven-in-ten (69%) believe the Jays have a “decent” shot at winning the World Series, while a further one-in-seven (14%) go further and believe the team should be favourites. Those who follow MLB very closely are much more likely to believe the teams odds are likely (74%) or very likely (17%) than those who don’t normally follow the big leagues.
Note: these data were taken in the later half of the Yankees series and prior to the ALCS against the Mariners. The Blue Jays hurt their odds at winning it all by losing their first two home games in the ALCS but have a shot at evening the series tonight.
A data blast from the past
It looks like the Blue Jays have a way to go to regain the level of confidence the team generated in the early 90’s. After winning their first World Series in 1992, 19 per cent said they had a very good chance of repeating, something they indeed accomplished. In 1994, a season that was ultimately cancelled due to a strike (sorry Expos fans) an even higher number (35%) were confident that the team could three-peat:
METHODOLOGY:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Oct. 7-11, 2025, among a randomized sample of 2,031 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For PDF of full release, click here.
For questionnaire, click here.