A Sober man’s thoughts on his first championship parade
Who doesn’t love a championship parade? Well for me, it is one of my weird sports takes. I am completely indifferent. I live and die with the city of Philadelphia and while I love when the city gets to have these parades, and the visuals that emerge from them, I myself don’t really care. I did not go when the Phillies won in 2008 and I did not go in 2018 for the first-ever Eagles Super Bowl Parade. I do not have any regrets about this either; I have no positive or negative opinion of it, and with the effort needed to be put forward to see it, I never went. Another key component to know about me is that I am straightedge. I do not drink any alcohol, smoke, or do any drugs. An important note on a day like a parade day. My family was going to this parade though and since this very well might be the best sports team Philadelphia ever gets to call their own, I decided that this was as good a time to go to my first, and maybe only parade appearance.
The Early Journey to the Eagles Super Bowl Parade Route
Let’s start with the journey. Unlike my podcast counterparts, I live the closest to the city and would be coming from the West. After leaving at 5:20 am, we were in University City well before 6 am. We actually drove there and at that early time, there was no issue with parking at all. We could have parked substantially closer but chose not to as we valued getting out of the city quicker. By 6:10 am we were on the Parkway. After some consideration we decided to not find a spot on the north side, but instead the south side. We specifically parked ourselves in the front row right where the Parkway narrowed to one lane and would in turn force the buses, players, and entire Eagles Super Bowl Parade very close to our spot. The Art Museum was visible from our location, but we were definitely not that close to it.
We then sat and waited in the cold for hours on end. It was pleasant but exceedingly cold. The sun coming up did not make it any easier and ultimately by the looks of it, we probably could have come 90 minutes or so later than we actually did and got a very similar spot, if not the same one. Around 8:30 am they re-aired the Super Bowl on the Parkway. The sound quality was great and it was fun rewatching it with tens of thousands of people, especially when something big, like the Cooper DeJean pick six happened and the Parkway erupted with, “COOP!” chants.
The Moment Arrives: Up Close with Eagles Players
After the game was over, it was time for the Eagles Super Bowl parade to start. The big screens showed the parade as it was marching up Broad Street. They were blasting music which was fun, but you obviously could not hear the parade footage, even though players were being interviewed. The excitement was dampened though as where we were, the parade would not reach us until 1:30 pm-1:45 pm, despite starting at 11 am. It was fun seeing the guys have so much fun, but inevitably it was our big moment and the epic parade came storming by.
Handshakes and hugs from some of our favorite players, screaming and adoring fans, the big buses, confetti, and we had a front-row seat for all of it. It was everything I would have envisioned and much more. Our spot worked out perfectly as we were inches away from so many of our favorites and were able to actually dap up Jalen Carter, Brandon Graham, Reed Blankenship, Mekhi Becton, and Sydney Brown. We also got to watch CJGJ whip the “BTA” belt right in front of us as well as Zach Baun, Jake Elliot, and Isiah Rodgers pose up in front of us. Dallas Goedert came by too and appeared to be on another planet. We were also 15 feet away from Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts holding the Lombardi trophy as they walked down the Parkway. Our spot was also solid for the speeches though it was difficult at times to hear them. My personal favorite was AJ Brown’s speech.
All in all, it was a memorable day, and as stated, I was sober the whole time, and remember all of it. With that, it only feels fair to give my honest opinions, both positive and negative about the day.
Eagles Super Bowl Parade Positives
For starters, it was much less overwhelming than I thought as someone who does have some level of social anxiety. There was space to breathe and get away from people if you needed and up until about 90 minutes before the parade coming to our spot we probably could have gotten back to our original spots, even if we left. Getting in and out of the city was largely painless which is a credit to the city. The traffic felt like leaving an Eagles game and that was it. Around the time of the actual Eagles Super Bowl parade you are stuck in place, but it doesn’t cross your mind as you’re focused on the parade. The overwhelming joy of the day and the passion that is exuded from this city was tear-inducing. You also get to see such raw and genuine reactions from the players and get to see them up close in an environment that you never really see. It is incredible to see a million-plus people come together and share joy over something; coming together to celebrate a dream we all prayed for.
Eagles Super Bowl Parade Negatives
I do have a fair amount to say here. For starters, can people turn on their brains when out in public? People just leaning and pushing on each other for no reason. To gain what, an inch? Our stuff was repeatedly trampled, our personal space invaded, and our spot was stormed as the Eagles Super Bowl parade went by. Drunk people are fun to a point. Why can’t we just stand and cheer, why do we need to be falling over each other? People were also loudly screaming and at times shooting off fireworks during the speeches which made it hard to hear occasionally.
I also want to say, that while it was cute in 2018, NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO THROW BEER TO THE PLAYERS ANYMORE. As we all saw, Howie Roseman took a can to the face and he wasn’t the only one. Even at the point of the parade I was at, the buses were just being bombarded with beer cans and bottles. The people on the buses looked almost scared at times. You need to make eye contact with these people before you throw them something. Not to be a wet blanket, but that was super dangerous and kind of uncomfortable and so help if one of you numpties injured one of our beloved football players. The day, while the travel was largely seamless, was still a heavily involved day. 12+ hours, you’re hungry, thirsty, cold, tired, and all of that for about 20 minutes of fun.
This was my first championship parade and as someone who had largely no opinion of them beforehand, did my opinion change? No, honestly I still feel about the same. I don’t have the desire to go to another one of these, so maybe that means I think less of them. I am not really sure though. I got to dap up some of my favorite players and the memories of joy surrounding this will long outlast the frustration of the day in my mind. I adore these teams and love when this city comes together like this. I think I preferred the celebration on Broad Street post-game more than the Eagles Super Bowl parade itself. I am happy that I went to this parade for this team, especially for this team that we may remember as the best ever. I hope this city sees another 500 championship parades, I just don’t need to be there for any more of them.
Did you go to the Eagles Parade? How was your time there? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, BlueSky, or TikTok. Email us at [email protected] and we’ll share the story on the show. Join our Discord for further discussion with the GENY community!