Eagles Fans Comes Out in Force For Victory Parade

Today was a glorious day to be a Philadelphia football fan, capping a heady week full of victory celebrations cropping up all through the City of Brotherly Love. Last weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles did what was thought impossible – trounced Tom Brady, reckoned to the the “Greatest of All Time” (or GOAT) and his New England Patriots to achieve victory in Superbowl LII in Minneapolis. Eagles fans have been both figuratively and literally drunk on victory, from the all-night party that broke out in the streets of Center City Sunday night to today: the homecoming parade of the beloved “Iggles.”

The Philadelphia Eagles did their heraldic bird proud, coming home after a Superbowl win with pride and majesty.

Hundreds of thousands of happy onlookers bedecked in green stood twenty deep along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and up and down Broad Street to see the parade. It kicked off at at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, coming up Broad to City Hall and from there on to the famous “Rocky steps” of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The almost five-mile route was jam-packed with fans crying, cheering, and holding one another, still incredulous that they were witnessing an event that many thought wouldn’t happen this generation.

According to ESPN: “Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie stood atop a bus along with quarterbacks Nick Foles, Carson Wentz and third-stringer Nate Sudfeld as they made their way through the throngs. Lurie held a sign reading “Thank You Fans,” and a smiling Super Bowl MVP Foles brandished the Vince Lombardi Trophy.” An estimated two million people watched as Coach Doug Pederson got off the bus to show the Lombardi Trophy to the enthusiastic crowd, and other players tossed souvenir t-shirts off the top deck of the bus.

Fans started clustering on the parade route before dawn today, when at sunup the temperature was a frosty 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Bundled in parkas and clutching cups of coffee, the cold was no match for the collective joy emanating off the Eagles fans as they awaited a glimpse at their homecoming heroes. Schools, museums, courts, government offices and even the Philadelphia Zoo were shut down so everyone who wanted to could join the revelry. Two dozen bars ran with free beer courtesy of Bud Light, honoring a bet made via Twitter with Lane Johnson earlier in the season.

In short, it was a great damn day to be an Eagles fan.