Professional athletes are often expected to root for other teams in the same city, but the situation can sometimes get complicated, as Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers can confirm.
Over the weekend, Flowers attended a Toronto Blue Jays game alongside Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson, who grew up in nearby Guelph, Ontatio. With the Blue Jays being an AL East rival of the Baltimore Orioles, some eyebrows were naturally raised at Flowers' appearance in Toronto.
Soon after, though, Flowers confirmed that he's not "betraying" his local baseball team while also thanking Toronto for the warm welcome.
"O’s fans hear me out, This don’t change anything between us," Flowers wrote on X. "Thanks to the Blue Jays for having me."
Of course, it's not mandatory by any means for athletes to support other local teams. One notable example is NBA superstar Stephen Curry, who roots for his hometown Carolina Panthers rather than the San Francisco 49ers. For an MLB-NFL example, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout famously roots for the Philadelphia Eagles rather than either NFL team that calls Southern California home.
It's hard to imagine anyone getting truly upset over Flowers' appearance in Toronto, but it did provide a nice little bit of banter.
