Many Toronto Blue Jays fans are returning to work and school on Monday with lingering sadness as the excitement of the World Series wears down.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Jays 5-4 in a tense Saturday Game 7 in front of a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
It was a game that Jays fans were certain would be theirs after Bo Bichette’s three-run homer put the team up in the third inning. But a game-tying home run in the ninth inning by the Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas evened out the score. Then came the winning homer from the Dodgers’ Will Smith in the extra 11th inning.
University of Toronto psychiatry professor Rajeevan Rasasingham says it’s normal if fans continue mourning a few days after the loss because they were so emotionally invested in the series and have built a relationship with the team.
“The sport has created a community,” he said in a phone interview, noting youth may be at greater risk for feeling the post-World Series blues.
“Your everyday life is connected to sports and you talk about it every day in school with your friends,” he said. “When you’re younger you’re even more involved.”
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After the loss, many fans punctuated the air with frequent expletives as they filed out of Rogers Centre, mourning the end to the season.
Several were seen crying and with their head in their hands.
A fan named Amr Altaweel called the loss “heartbreaking” while another fan, Derek Shank, said he was “gutted.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford congratuated the Jays for the “hard-fought World Series” in a social media post late Saturday night.
“It may not have been the result we hoped for, but you’ve made our country proud,” the post said.
Rasasingham said fans should be on alert if they feel themselves withdrawing from friends and activity, or constantly ruminating on the loss for more than a week. The grief shouldn’t prevent fans from enjoying their day-to-day activities, or the feeling of hopelessness should not linger for too long.
He said those struggling should remember there’s strength in the collective loss.
“It’s OK to be sad. This is something that mattered to a lot of us,” he said. “Even grieving can give an opportunity for us to feel connected, not only within our families, our friends network, our work network, but also across the country.”
“Even though it’s a loss, it could give a sense of national pride of being Canadian.”
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The World Series united Canadians across the country. It brought lifelong Jays fans, who remember watching the World Series championships in 1992 and 1993, together with younger generations and a sizable group of bandwagoners.
Toronto turned into a sea of white and blue as Jays hats and jerseys became a hot accessory.
Rasasingham said the pride fans felt was further amplified by the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States.
“I think for a lot of people, the success of the team is sort of connected to personal pride, civic pride, Canadian pride,” he said.
Rasasingham said the Blue Jays embodied the perfect underdog throughout the season, treating its fan base to a meteoric rise into the playoffs. The post-season games were tumultuous, with the Jays battling it out and pushing both the American League Championship Series and World Series into Game 7.
The ALCS games had moments that will be immortalized in team history, including George Springer’s decisive home run in Game 7 that propelled the Jays to their first World Series in 30 years.
As a Blue Jays fan himself, Rasasingham said looking to the future could help some alleviate their grief.
“This could be the groundwork for future good seasons because we did so well,” he said.
