John McDermott on Singing the Anthem for Toronto, Boston, and More!

It's an element of the game which often goes unnoticed, but if any of our favourite leagues ever stopped performing the National Anthems at the beginning of a match, it would stick out like a sore thumb.

This week anthem singer, and legendary Canadian Tenor John McDermott joins us to talk about his life in sports. He's spent 20+ years singing anthems and serving as an ambassador to the teams he loves.

It turns out there's much more to this element of the game than most fans might realize. The anthem singers themselves often become firmly entrenched in the culture of a team, giving the spectators a touchstone, or an element of tradition to which they can cling in order to feel more like "part of the team."

After all, who doesn't like an opportunity to take part in the same actions as their favourite players in the stadium? For those brief minutes, athletes and fans alike stand together listening to the songs.