By: Nick Frieburger | Staff Writer
If you grew up as a Boston sports fan in the 2000’s, winning isn’t just a luxury, it’s a lifestyle. With all four major sports teams winning at least one title since 2001, the city of Boston and its fans have sure experienced a fair amount of winning. What comes after each championship though is one of the best things Boston sports fans can experience, the parade. Millions of fans line up down Boylston Street and Tremont Street to see the beloved sports heroes who brought another title to Boston. For no other reason would anyone wake up at 6 AM to stand on the streets of Boston for hours. Championship parades aren’t just normal parades though, it’s a time where you get to connect with your team’s athletes as well as fans from all over.
After sitting in Boston traffic and standing on the streets for hours, I found myself thinking if it was worth it to come all the way to see the parade. After all, we seem to win a title almost every year. My thoughts immediately changed as I heard roaring screams coming from fans down the street and saw confetti falling from the sky. I knew I could never pass on a championship parade; after all, you never know when the last one could be. In what seemed like forever for the parade to finally get underway, fans chanted and threw around footballs across the street. While fans were still waiting, the Boston Police played catch with fans, and even kicked field goals.
The duck boats started rolling down the street, and you could see the general excitement of each player and staff member up close; even coach Belichick was smiling from ear to ear. As usual, Gronk was shirtless and catching beers from random people in the crowd.
The loudest cheer of all was for Tom Brady as he held his 6th Lombardi trophy in one hand and his daughter in the other. You could tell the players were happy to silence all the doubters they had on there playoff run. Many of the players took personal offense to the remarks made by members of the media, especially ESPN’s Max Kellerman who has predicted that the Patriots dynasty and Tom Brady’s success would come to a crashing halt. Spoiler alert: neither happened and won’t seem to anytime soon.
Throughout the parade you can feel the energy the fans and the players bring, and there is nothing quite like it. Boston fans need to cherish every moment during this magical run, because it could be over in the blink of an eye. Celtics, you’re up.
