There really is nothing like trekking through a mile of snow and slush just to see Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski about 5 feet away from you on a duck boat. I was soaked through to my socks by the time we’d finally made it to Newbury Street from campus, my gloves were ruined, my hair was frozen, but I wouldn’t change a single thing! It’s time to face the facts, people: there really is nobody more dedicated than a Patriots Fan. Whether we’re dealing with the 4 game suspension of our Lord and Savior Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr., or on our hands and knees in front of the flat screen praying for that Super Bowl winning 2 point conversion, there is nothing that could separate a Pats fan from their love of the game. We are relentless, and there’s nothing that could ever stop us from being so.
Let’s start off with the first thing I had the pleasure of experiencing once we’d finally arrived to Newbury Street. It took us a solid 10 minutes to find a spot where we could see the road blocks. By that point, we’d been interviewed by news station personnel twice, and we could barely feel anything but the melted snow dripping from the tip of our noses. Once we finally found this golden spot, our attention was immediately grabbed by this random guy in jeans and a Brady jersey (remember it was about 33 degrees at the time) who decided it would be a great idea to climb a tree to get closer to the duck boats.
We watched this decently sized dude (impressively) fumble his way onto the tiniest of tree branches and once he was settled in, a couple of his buddies threw him a beer. After about 7 attempts, he finally catches the beer. It felt oddly familiar, like the first three quarters of the Super Bow. The entire crowd starts cheering “Shotgun! Shotgun!” and naturally, this guy shotguns his beer all over himself. The crowd went wild and proceeded to chant “USA, USA, USA!!!” Let me tell you, it was the most American thing I’d ever experienced.
Finally, once this whole charade ended, it was time for the parade to begin. I have never been around so many people who loved Tom Brady as much as I do, but these people were NUTS! There were grown men in tears patiently awaiting Tom’s “GOAT Boat”, a clever little term that I coined myself! After about 10 minutes of tour busses and “spare busses”, the duck boats finally arrived.
It. Was. Life. Changing.
I was completely SHOOK! Naturally, Tom was the first face I recognized, and it was like my legs were going to give out from under me. He was absolutely beaming with pride. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as genuinely happy as Tom Brady was on his duck boat, cradling the Lombardi, among hundreds of his biggest fans. It must be really amazing to have a thousand people, soaked to the bone with snow and slush, crowding the streets of Boston just to get the chance to see you. Tom really did an amazing job of pumping up the crowd; he was just an absolute gem. This one’s for you, Tommy boy, we love ya!
Photo courtesy of Erin Sheedy
And of course, who can forget Gronk? I get it; he didn’t even play in the Super Bowl, but it is not a party without Rob Gronkowski! The entire crowd lost their minds. And then, on a duck boat toward the middle of the parade, Julian Edelman just parted the rest of his teammates like the red sea, and appeared right before our eyes. It was magnificent.
Photo courtesy of Erin Sheedy
Finally, when all of the boats had passed, it was time for us to trudge back to campus with our ruined clothes and soggy hearts. My friends and I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that our boys were right there, right in front of us! The guys we spend every Sunday ogling over in front of the flat screen in the JYC, were right in front of us smiling and acknowledging our existence! It was absolutely incredible. There really is nothing like being a member of Pats Nation, and it’s something I’ll carry with me until the day I die. We’re proud of our team. So here’s to Super Bowl LI, and the many more to come! Stay strong Pats Nation, always and forever!