Boston fans yell: WE WANT SEVEN
BOSTON – With cheers of “We want seven!” and “Next year, right here!” hundreds of thousands of jubilant fans jammed downtown Boston on Tuesday for a parade celebrating the New England Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl title.
A party atmosphere enveloped the city on the unseasonably mild day. Red, white and blue confetti rained down and music blared as fans packed along sidewalks hoping to catch a glimpse of quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the beloved team.
It’s a familiar feeling in Boston. The city’s teams have now won 12 championships since 2001. Just four months ago, the city feted the Red Sox for their World Series victory over another Los Angeles team, the Dodgers.
Boston resident Tom Collins was beaming as he took in the spectacle across from the city’s historic Common, his ticket from this year’s Super Bowl dangling from a lanyard around his neck.
After celebrating in Atlanta, Collins said he and his wife drove nearly nonstop to get home for the parade.
“We had to be a part,” he said as he smoked a cigar and held up a homemade Vince Lombardi trophy. “We had to bring the trophy back to Boston.”
Leigh Hickman, of Swanzey, New Hampshire, drew cheers as he stalked the crowd wearing a rubber goat mask, a Tom Brady shirt and a sign that read: “We’re Still Here.”
“I wanted to represent the G.O.A.T., the greatest player of all time,” he said. “I’m the same age as him and I can’t imagine doing any of the things he does. It’s unbelievable.”
Fresh from Sunday’s 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl title match held in Atlanta, team members and their families took a 2-mile (3-kilometer) swing through the city aboard Boston’s iconic World War II-era amphibious “duck boats.”