A fan got kicked out of a baseball stadium last week because the message on his hat appeared to violate a rule against displaying political slogans.
The offending political message? The seemingly anodyne “Canada is not for sale.”
Oh, yes, this happened in Canada.
On Thursday afternoon, Dan Begley, a retired financial adviser, attended the Blue Jays’ opening game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. On his head was a red baseball cap with white lettering proclaiming Canada’s autonomy. It was seemingly uncontroversial gear for a 70-year-old from the Toronto suburb Etobicoke who has been a fan of the team since it debuted in 1977.
Mr. Begley arrived an hour and a half before game time, and said he received a compliment on his hat from a beer vendor. Then, just before the first pitch, his day took a turn.
“The usher approached me and said that they have a policy against political statements,” Mr. Begley said in an interview. “I wasn’t even sure what she was talking about, but I realized it was my hat, and she said I would have to remove it or turn it backward.”
It turns out that there is a Rogers Centre rule barring “costumes, clothing and accessories that are inappropriate, unlawful, indecent, obstructive, disparaging, offensive, objectionable or intended to draw attention to international, political or other similar events.” (For the record, the stadium also bars outside alcohol, squirt guns, brooms and hoverboards.)
“Canada is not for sale” isn’t unlawful or indecent, but political? Someone thought so.
The slogan is hardly part of a radical or fringe movement: Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, had worn a blue version of the hat to a January meeting with the prime minister, which inspired Mr. Begley to get one of his own.
“It was more of a patriotic hat,” Mr. Begley said. “I thought, what better place to wear it than opening game in Canada with all my fellow Canadians there.”
He declined to leave at the usher’s request, only to find that the Rogers Centre was ready to take it to the next level.
He was approached by the usher again and told: “‘My supervisor would just like a calm discussion with you out in the hall,’” Mr. Begley said. “And I knew once I got out in the hall, I wasn’t coming back, so at first I said no. And then I saw the police starting to mill around. I thought ‘I don’t want to get carried out of here.’
“I said, ‘OK, I’ll go,’ but I’m not going quietly. And I just said as loud as I could, ‘I’m being thrown out because of my hat!’” He was taken out of the stadium. In any case, the Blue Jays went on to lose, 12-2.
Mr. Begley said after local media coverage that he had heard from many people offering support. They included Ontario’s premier, Mr. Ford.
“He said, ‘Keep wearing that hat, and if anyone gives you a problem, just call me,’” Mr. Begley said. “And he left his cellphone number!”
In recent months, Canadians have been keener than usual to point out that their country is not for sale. Tension with the United States is high because of President Trump’s tariff proposals and his public comments about making the country America’s 51st state.
For their part, the Blue Jays are contrite. “We have spoken with the fan and apologized,” the team said in a statement. “Our staff made a mistake, and we have addressed the issue to ensure it does not happen again. We invited the fan back to the ballpark, and he has accepted our apology and is looking forward to returning.”
The co-founder of the company that designed the hat, Liam Mooney, sent Mr. Begley two tickets to Monday night’s game. “I got a hero’s welcome,” Mr. Begley said. “I couldn’t believe that people were buying me beer and wanting their picture taken with me and thanking me. I think I really struck a nerve.”
Mr. Begley prefers to see the good in the policy clash.
“It’s gone from humiliation to inspiration,” he said. “I’m so proud of myself. Canadians, you know, we’re quiet. But boy, we’re loud and proud now.”
Kitty Bennett contributed research.
