Lessons from a bittersweet post-season

If you’re a baseball fan or a bandwagon-jumper, you’ve likely moved on from the heartbreak of the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series loss to a heartfelt appreciation of their remarkable post-season run. If you’re not so keen on the sport or this team, no doubt you’re relieved that the relentless coverage of a few weeks ago is over.

No matter how you feel about the Jays, though, there’s a lot we can learn as individuals, a community and a country from the efforts of this group of men paid millions to play the game of our childhood summers.

The Jays’ electrifying post-season gave us some genuine good news amid the gloom of trade uncertainty, the horrors of war and the rising cost of living. Just for a moment, Vladimir Guerrero’s grin or a timely Ernie Clement single made the burden feel a little lighter. The lesson: While we need to pay attention to bad news, it’ll be there regardless, so there’s no point carrying around our own dark cloud, too.

For a glorious month or so, complete strangers throughout Kawartha Lakes chatted cheerfully about the Jays. We didn’t have to be wary of conversation because we had this uplifting, non-political thing in common. The lesson: Let’s keep talking. Take a chance on a friendly chat with someone, and keep it positive.

Indeed, the Jays reminded us once again that we Canadians are united by shared values and a desire to look out for each other. Every now and then we just need to be reminded that there is so much more that connects us than there is that divides us.

All ages, genders and ethnicities got caught up in the excitement. Elderly women who played ball as kids were as thrilled as beer-swilling sports bros and new Canadians just learning about the game. They all cheered on players from multiple countries who ultimately played like Canadians, with no single definition of what it means to be a valuable team member, and everyone contributing in his own way for the greater good. The lesson: We’re stronger when we embrace diversity.

Blue Jays players also demonstrated that it’s okay to have fun at work — in fact, it might boost your performance when you want to do well for their teammates because you like them. Joy is contagious.

Although it’s often overshadowed by a certain winter sport, Canada has a long and proud baseball history. One of the first documented games anywhere was played in southwestern Ontario in 1838. One hundred and eight-seven years later, we’re grateful to the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. They brought us a lot. They taught us even more.