Don’t believe the hype, Philly is still the “City of Brotherly Love” during Eagles parade

By
Breanna Ruiz
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3037
As the parade ended, the crowd made its way back down the Ben Franklin Parkway. -Photo courtesy of Jake Collins

PATCO tickets sold out in hours, SEPTA rail passes were being resold on Craigslist, Philly schools were closing and pretty much everyone was calling out of work. Some say it was pandemonium, but in reality it was the Superbowl Parade.

The Eagles Parade of Champions kicked off Thursday morning and fans from all over the country were trying to squeeze into the city. 

While some people were trying to get across the Delaware River to join the celebration, some Eagles fans had the parade come to them.

Alfonso Mongelli, 49, was born and raised in Southwest Philadelphia. Unlike the rest of the crowd going nuts, he’s calm and cool, simply smiling through it all. Mongelli, who now resides in South Jersey, is unphased by the drunken screams surrounding him, he describes the day as “once in a lifetime.”


For Mongelli, watching the Eagles win the Superbowl after being a lifelong fan was a moment he’ll never forget.

“I sat there in shock and I started crying, hugging my sons,” Mongelli said.

After the Super Bowl, however, some media outlets confirmed Philadelphians were “rioting,” and according to the Daily Beast, “attempting to destroy the city.”

Social media videos showed people climbing poles and running through the streets while alcohol spilled onto the asphalt.

Michael Mongelli, 26, Rocco Mongelli, 23, current South Jersey residents, were both born in South Philly and grew up in the area. They stood at the barricades of the parade route, on Broad and Snyder, draped in Eagles gear to celebrate with their family.

“We have a lot of pride, we’re just blue-collar people. People who don’t make a lot of money called out of work today just to be there for their team. It just shows we deserve this just as much as the [Eagles] did, and we’re there to support them on this beautiful journey,” Michael said.

While this is the first ever Super Bowl win for the Eagles, Rocco Mongelli has high hopes for the Birds “flying” forward.

“Personally, I think this is the start of a dynasty. We have a young team, a really smart coach…I can see us being the next dynasty behind the Patriots, maybe us winning three or four more Super Bowls,” Rocco said.

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