Crazy Love in a Philly Parade

Masses of exuberant, frenzied fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder for hours. You couldn’t see actual land for what seemed like miles. “Three’s the charm,” they yelled over and over. Sure, the air smelled a bit questionable, but no one seemed to notice or care. This was history. This was Philly’s first Super Bowl parade.

I will admit, I was a bit confused about the extreme passion and emotion because I am not a football-aholic. I cheered for four years in high school so I know little things here and there about passionate fans, but this… Nothing compared to this monumental moment for the hundreds of thousands who lined the Philly Super Bowl parade route waiting to cheer their sports super heroes, who finally brought the trophy home on the third try.

The suffering by their fans was finally over.  And there I was in the middle of the pack. Not the long-time suffering Eagles fan, but the student from a small town in Florida who knew nothing about city life before coming to Philly. I had never taken a train, subway, or Uber prior to moving to Arcadia. I didn’t know the basic city rules: Walk like you have a purpose, refrain from eye contact, and when that subway door opens, you better jump in because it WILL close on you (literally).

So being among the masses was a different kind of big deal to me. I witnessed every aspect of city life in a matter of hours. I saw thousands of people all at once, walking and bumping into one another, but on a common path. There were flare-ups over line skipping and posters blocking coveted views, but at the end of the day, these people all knew they were here to see one thing.

So when the parade came plowing through our street, everyone seemed to forget about the long wait and began jumping and hollering uncontrollably as the champs got closer.  “E-A-G-L-E-S! GO EAGLES!” they screamed at the top of their lungs.

It kind of played in slow motion when I first saw the players making their way through the street. I suddenly didn’t remember that I had just been a human popsicle two seconds ago. I ignored my numb toes and nose. I waved my hands in the air, jumped, laughed, and lived the moment second by second.

When the parade passed and continued on its way, I just looked at the people around me and had the biggest grin on my face. The funny thing is, the city natives did, too, and in that euphoric moment, we all connected. We all, even this newly citified girl from Florida, had experienced happiness and pride for the city’s long-overdue accomplishment.