It would seem that only in Philadelphia can destroying a city bring people together.

After the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33 in Super Bowl LII, the stories of fans rioting in the streets, tearing down lamp posts, eating horse waste, and much more were all over social media. The Eagles had been starved of a championship since they won the NFL Championship all the way back in 1960, and fans were excited to see the Lombardi Trophy finally come home to the “City of Brotherly Love” for the traditional parade.

The parade itself started at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 8. The route started on Broad St. and Pattison Avenue, near the sports complex that houses all of the major teams’ stadiums, and ended at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the Eagles came out for a ceremony with the trophy. During this ceremony the fans were all greeted to an inspirational speech by the team’s center, Jason Kelce.

People flooded the streets to see the confetti fall like it did just a few nights prior at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and to see head coach Doug Pederson and crew hoist the trophy. Among these people were many members of the Southern Lehigh community.

“I could absolutely see everything,” Spanish teacher Mrs. Joan Imms-Geiser said. “When the first two buses went by, that’s when they dropped the confetti. When the bus with [Eagles quarterback Carson] Wentz and the trophy went by, It was literally snowing confetti. And I know a lot of players by face, so I was able to see a lot of the different players as the busses went by.”

“It was very crazy,” junior Rianna Aucker said. “There were people climbing trees, there were people dancing to the music, it was all fun.”

Along the route, the buses would stop, so that players and coaches could get off and interact with the fans, and at other times fans would throw beers up to the players as the buses went by.

Offensive tackle, and one of the men behind the Eagles “underdog mask,” Lane Johnson said before the season, that if the Eagles won the Super Bowl, he would buy everyone a beer. Bud Light hopped on board with Johnson, and along the route, representatives gave every fan over 21 a free Bud Light at local bars and taverns, to honor his promise. Fans during the playoffs also took the beer company’s slogan “Dilly Dilly,” and turned it into “Philly Philly.”

Bringing home the championship has been a long time coming for the city of Philadelphia. The last time the Eagles won a championship was in 1960, before the Super Bowl was created. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl two times prior to their win this season. The first was in 1981, facing the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. Their second chance at the big game came against the New England Patriots in 2004 at Super Bowl XXXIX.

“I can tell you as a long time fan of the Eagles, that it was really exciting for this to happen for the first time,” Sra. Imms said. “I remember when we lost in ‘81, and 2004, those losses were crushing because in both cases the teams were so good. Things always seem to be stacked against the Eagles. Either there’s injuries on the team, or there’s drama on the team, or there’s something that’s like, ‘We’re almost there, but not quite there.’ But this year, just had a different feeling.”

The Eagles ended the regular season with a record of 13 wins and three losses, the best record in the NFL, despite losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL in week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams. Nick Foles, who was the teams’ starter in 2013, stepped in to fill the role, including winning not only the Super Bowl, but the honor of Super Bowl MVP.

The city of Philadelphia has a history with die-hard fans of their sports. Eagles fans are notorious for being very rowdy, and very mean. Most people associate the Eagles fanbase for throwing snowballs at Santa Claus during a game in December of 1968 as they were fed up with how terrible the team was at the time.

But, finally bringing a title home is more than just for the team; it is something that has connected these fans, and something they have yearned for for so long, has finally come home.

“It means a lot to especially our fans, and know people who went to the parade who aren’t fans, but they knew it meant a lot to the fanbase and to the organization,” senior Emmett Noone said, “It means a lot to finally get our first Super Bowl win, and show everyone else who we are. And that we like to party.”