Sports-sector assessment flags cross-border exposure as Canada-U.S. tariff dispute reaches hockey equipment

A Sportico guest column published Sept. 18 examines the Canada-U.S. tariff dispute through the unusually integrated business model of North American professional sports. Professors John Cairney and Rick Burton argue that sport is rarely central to trade-war analysis, but that leagues, teams, athletes, suppliers and fans can still be exposed where cross-border commerce, travel, sponsorship and consumer spending overlap. Their analysis is prospective: it identifies possible pressures rather than reporting confirmed losses for clubs or leagues. [1]

The National Hockey League is the clearest example in the authors’ assessment. Seven of the NHL’s 32 teams are based in Canada, while Detroit, Buffalo and Seattle are all located near the border, leaving about one-third of the league’s clubs closely attentive to tariff-related developments, they write. The league’s player base is also binational: 304 of 726 players on last season’s opening-night rosters were Canadian, compared with 195 Americans. The column characterizes this structure as an integrated North American enterprise rather than a primarily domestic league with cross-border outposts. [1]

The authors say a trade conflict could reach the sector if it weakens household spending, interrupts supply chains or fuels ill will among local audiences, while stressing that such an outcome remains uncertain. They specifically note that tariffs on Canadian imports now include hockey equipment, creating the possibility of higher retail costs for participants in a sport with strong cultural importance in both countries. At the same time, they offer an alternative possibility: committed fans may retain spending on teams and entertainment even if selected products become more expensive, particularly absent a recession. [1]

Other leagues and border-market organizations face related, though differently sized, cross-border considerations. The column points to three Canadian Major League Soccer clubs, Toronto franchises in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, and teams in U.S. border states. It highlights the Buffalo Bills’ plan to perform both national anthems at the first regular-season game in their new stadium, noting that Canadian residents are estimated to account for 10% to 15% of the club’s season-ticket base. The authors frame the move as both a cultural signal and recognition of an economically important cross-border audience. [1]

Canada had, as of Sept. 8, imposed tariffs on $27.6 billion of U.S. imports at rates of 15%, 25% and 50%, according to the column, in response to President Donald Trump’s late-August announcement of 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods. The authors propose sports diplomacy not as a mechanism that would settle a tariff dispute, but as a means of preserving relationships and visibly illustrating economic interdependence while wider political tensions persist. [1]