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Patrick Blennerhassett
Patrick Blennerhassett

Opinion | 2019 NBA Finals: Canadian culture of politeness on full display as Toronto Raptors look to win first championship

  • Polite trash-talking on Jimmy Kimmel Live and apology flowers to Kevin Durant as entire country gets behind its only basketball team
  • Why are Canadians polite? Turns out it’s part of their national fabric as citizens

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Trash-talking Canada-style from Toronto Raptors supporters at the Jurassic Park fan zone. Photo: EPA
Patrick Blennerhassett

First off, I’d like to apologise for this column, because, well, apologies are in my blood. Secondly, go Raptors!

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As a Canadian expat in Hong Kong, it’s been interesting to watch the 2019 NBA Finals go down between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors. Outside of the liberal socialist dreamland Canadian fishbowl, being a Canuck feels a bit like a gimmick here, some sort of odd novelty no one gets overtly excited about but does deem noteworthy. I’m a token worldly citizen, not American, albeit people mistake me for one if they don’t catch the accent after a few minutes.

Not only are the Raptors uniting my nation up in the great white north, they’re showing the world how Canadians handle sports and rivalries. When we’re not riding dogsleds, picking fights while skating on ice or chugging fireball whisky on our snowmobiles, we love our major pro sports teams to death.

Numerous outlets have taken notice of the cross-border gamesmanship and are poking fun at Canadians for being too polite. If that’s the worst people can drum up about our beautiful nation and its people, I say continue the polite bashing in earnest.

Late night TV show host Conan O’Brien was the first to get in on the action. One of his staff writers, Levi MacDougall, hails from Alberta and is a huge Raptors fan. MacDougall did a hilarious bit in which he went around the show’s Los Angeles office talking trash in a way only true hosers can.

“Hey Suzy, Warriors, eh? More like Golden State worriers. Yeah and I’d be worried too if I was playing a team like the Raptors, eh? Hope that wasn’t too harsh, see ya around.”

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