Pat McAfee saw “the scary thing told about me” as he blasted Canada for a Toronto Boo fan in WWE's elimination chamber on Saturday night.
During the installment of “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, ESPN's personality, who called Canada a “bad country” while sitting at the announcer's desk during a Pay-Per-View event, confronted his comments and explained how things got hot.
“Now Canada is listening. There have been a few things that Canadians have told me. I think you respect it for your passion for your country. You booed my country,” McAfee said, adding that the boos at the Rogers Centre was “overwhelming” and “very loud.”
“My life when someone booes the national anthem is 'F – K You'. So whenever I hear someone boo our national anthem, my national response is, “Let's fight.” ”
McAfee has acknowledged the political situation between the United States and Canada since President Trump's repeated remarks about wanting Canada to be the “51st state.”
“I understand that there is a political difference between us and Canada in the present moment, but whenever I think about Canada, I feel reluctant. I don't immediately think what Canada is doing in the political field. I'm thinking about the people of Canada… I'm thinking about the magical era I spent as a teenager at Niagara Falls… I'm thinking about the fun times,” McAfee said.
“…I understand that from Canadians now they have far more passions than I imagined. There are so many terrible things being said about me and I understand that.
“…The Canadians didn't say it's bad. Your country said it is. You booed us, I said you're bad, let's wave and move together. I still love Canadians… I hope it calms down.”
McAfee added that he has deep respect for the national anthem for the many military and veterans he met while living in Indiana.
“I am extremely proud and grateful to be from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Canadians have a lot of passion for their country, and I understand that. I wrote it x.
The former NFL punter created waves shortly after American singer Elizabeth Irving performed the US national anthem at the WWE Showcase.
McAfee shot out of his chair, tearing Canada into a torrential rains of boos. Irving got the most noise when he sang “…and the Red Glare of the Rocket.”
“This is the most stacked removal chamber WWE has ever had,” McAfee said on the Peacock broadcast. “A bit of a bad country in Canada, sucking booing our national anthem to start this whole thing.”
This was not the first example of boos between Canadians and Americans at a sporting event, following Trump's threat to heavy tariffs on goods from Canada.
At the NHL's 4 Nations face-off tournament last month, Canadians booed “Star Spangled Banner” ahead of the US-Canada clash.
Last month, Canadian fans also booed the American national anthem at a Senator's game.
