Happy New Year 2025

Tag: booed

4 Nations Face-Off: Canadian anthem booed by Boston crowd

The game may not have involved Team USA, but the Boston crowd for Canada-Finland remembered what their neighbors to the north did during the U.S. national anthem and returned the favor.

Canadians in Montreal were heard booing the U.S. national anthem during the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the two countries. What transpired was three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, followed by a U.S. 3-1 victory.

During the playing of Canada’s national anthem on Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden in Boston, some fans were heard booing.

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Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) looks on against Team Sweden in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

Hostility was felt both on the ice and off it between these two countries, especially with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he was “damn proud of this country” after hearing boos during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Jeers have also been heard during NHL games since President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canada, which have since been paused. The president also teased Canada becoming the “51st state.”

While some Canadian players, like Drew Doughty, doesn’t want to hear boos from fans during anthems, U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski voiced his displeasure with it.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU SAYS HE’S ‘DAMN PROUD’ OF CANADA AS FANS BOO US NATIONAL ANTHEM, FACES ONLINE RIDICULE

“We knew it was going to happen,” Werenski admitted. “It happened the last game, it’s been happening in the NHL before this, and we knew tonight was going to be the same way. We obviously don’t like it.”

The U.S. also faced boos from the crowd before demolishing Finland, 6-1, in their game before facing Canada.

“It is what it is,” Werenski added. “We kind of had an idea. We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn’t a surprise. Definitely don’t like it, though.”

Canada’s Brandon Hagel, left, fights with United States’ Matthew Tkachuk during the first period of a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)

The hostility picked up even more when gloves were dropped immediately with the puck when Canada and USA were on the ice together.

It was Matthew Tkachuk going toe to toe with Brandon Hagel. Then, just two seconds later, Matthew’s brother, Brady, squared up with Sam Bennett, who is NHL teammates with Matthew on the Florida Panthers.

Finally, a scrap in the Canadian zone led J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko to drop their gloves.

Team Canada would score the first goal, as perennial NHL star Connor McDavid got his country on the board first. But the U.S. would score three unanswered to finish off the victory and automatically earn themselves a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.

Team Canada forward Connor McDavid prepares for a face off in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team United States at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

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Canada’s win over Finland on Sunday guarantees the rematch everyone wanted to see for the title, which will see the puck drop on Thursday night.

Whether more boos, and more fights, will be had at the TD Garden for that matchup remains to be seen.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 18, 2025
Trump mocks Taylor Swift, Chiefs after she was booed during Super Bowl LIX

President Donald Trump made history as the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl on Sunday, and stole the show away from Taylor Swift. He then made sure to mock her about it after the game.

Trump received a raucous cheer from the Superdome crowd when he was shown on-screen during the national anthem, while the fans booed Swift immensely when she was shown on the jumbotron during the game. Swift also had to watch her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, suffer a crushing 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which was the team she grew up rooting for.

Trump mocked her and the team in a post on Truth Social after the game. Trump credited followers of his “Make America Great Again” movement for the boos.

“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” Trump wrote.

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Ice Spice, from left, Taylor Swift, Este Haim and Alana Haim watch during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Trump has been at odds with Swift over the last year amid his 2024 presidential campaign.

After Swift announced her endorsement for Kamala Harris for president on Sept. 10, Trump appeared on “Fox & Friends” the next morning and insisted that he liked the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes, much better than Swift. Brittany Mahomes suggested support for Trump through social media activity.

Trump even sent a post on Truth Social that read “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” days after Swift’s endorsement of Harris.

For NFL fans, Swift became a contentious figure over the last year after her relationship with Kelce went public in September 2023. She began attending most Chiefs games, and whenever she was there, NFL broadcast cameras panned to her multiple times per game.

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President Donald Trump poses with members of the New Orleans Police Department and emergency personnel before the start of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Swift was credited for bringing a wave of new fans to the Chiefs and NFL as a whole, especially women fans. But a lot of longtime NFL fans became nauseated by the constant visuals of Swift at games.

Swift appeared at last year’s Super Bowl and witnessed Kelce and the Chiefs win that game. Then, this year, her appearances at NFL games continued, much to the agony of fans who had become sick of seeing and hearing about her.

Swift also was noticeably distant from Brittany Mahomes at multiple games this past season amid controversy over Mahomes’ Trump support and Swift’s support for Harris. However, they continued to show public affection in other ways, including a group dinner with Kelce and Patrick Mahomes just days before the Super Bowl.

And while Trump praised the Mahomes family, Kelce and even picked the Chiefs to win the game, he had no reservations about mocking all of them with his Truth Social post on Sunday night.

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President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump react during the playing of the national anthem in Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

But Trump didn’t stop there.

He also spoke out against the NFL’s new kick-off format, which he has been a vocal critic of since the first week of the season.

“The worst part of the Super Bowl, by far, was watching the Kickoff where, as the ball is sailing through the air, the entire field is frozen, stiff. College Football does not do it, and won’t! Whose idea was it to ruin the Game?” Trump wrote.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 10, 2025
John Calipari booed in return to Kentucky, but gets last laugh as Arkansas pulls off upset

Last April, John Calipari decided to “step away” from the University of Kentucky after 15 seasons; a day later, he joined the University of Arkansas.

Well, Calipari returned to Kentucky on Saturday night, and despite a championship in 2012 and a .771 winning percentage there, boos still managed to be loud as he returned.

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Well, Calipari got the last laugh, as his Razorbacks took home an 89-79 upset victory over the 12th-ranked team in the country.

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Arkansas head coach John Calipari gives high-fives to his team during the Kentucky game, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Calipari admitted that it took some getting used to.

“It’s hard to win in here. And I’ve got to be honest with you, I looked up a couple of times and I thought we were losing because I kept looking at Kentucky instead of Arkansas,” Calipari said. “I made it clear it was a privilege and an honor to coach here. We had 15 unbelievable years of a great run and support.”

With Kentucky, Calipari made the NCAA Tournament all but two seasons. Last year’s team was knocked out in the first round as a No. 3 seed against Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland. In 2022, the Wildcats were upset by No. 15 St. Peter’s, and they lost in the Round of 32 in 2023.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari stands on the court before the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. (Jordan Prather-Imagn Images)

ARIZONA STATE’S BOBBY HURLEY SENDS TEAM TO LOCKER ROOM EARLY AFTER OPPONENT’S ‘NO CLASS’ BEHAVIOR, EJECTIONS

Calipari went 410-122 (.771) with the Wildcats – this year’s Arkansas team is now 13-8 but 2-6 in conference.

The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball and has an 867-271 mark during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led the Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game at Kentucky last March 6.

It wasn’t just a return for Calipari. Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Zvonimir Ivisic combined to score 42 points against their former team in Lexington en route to the win.

Arkansas coach John Calipari takes the court before the Kentucky Wildcats’ game, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025, in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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With Arkansas leading 46-45 at the half, Thiero and Wagner combined for a 12-2 run and a 58-47 lead to start the second half. Thiero opened with a dunk and ended the run with a three, and the Razorbacks never looked back.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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February 2, 2025
Novak Djokovic booed after retiring from Australian Open semifinal match with injury

The Melbourne, Austrailia, crowd was not kind to Novak Djokovic early Friday morning.

In his quest to extend his record with a 25th grand slam, Djokovic only managed to play one set, withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal match after tearing a muscle in his left leg.

The withdrawal sent Alexander Zverev to Sunday’s final against Jannick Sinner, and it left the crowd disappointed.

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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic packs his bags after retiring from his men’s singles semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev on day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

After he conceded the match to Zverev, who won the set, fans booed him as he walked off toward the locker room.

Djokovic stopped, turned around and responded by giving two thumbs-up.

Zverev made his disappointment with the crowd known.

“Don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match, but you gotta understand Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia exits after his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals of the men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful.”

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John McEnroe added on the call, “They can’t possibly be booing him. Please! He’s won this 10 times, for god’s sakes. Unreal…

“I mean, clearly something was up. The guy is a battler. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] have dug deeper than any two players I have seen. So to do that because he decided that he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous, honestly. That was almost as depressing as seeing the end of the match.”

Djokovic suffered the injury during his five-set classic with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal, but he said the pain was getting “worse and worse.”

“Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain, and it was too much to handle for me at the moment. So, yeah, unfortunate ending, but I tried,” Djokovic said.

“I knew even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me.”

He withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a match.

Djokovic had surgery a couple of days later and immediately reached the final at the following major, Wimbledon, then won a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts on a point against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their men’s singles semi-final match on day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

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This will be Zverev’s first final at the Australian Open and the third final of his career. He also made last year’s French Open final as well as the 2020 U.S. Open.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 24, 2025