Julio Cortez/Associated Press
After the Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in franchise history, the players, coaches, executives and most importantly the fans were able to celebrate with a parade and festival.
This is the biggest title for the city of Seattle since the SuperSonics won the 1979 NBA title (sorry Seattle Storm). With a fan section known as one of the biggest in the NFL, it was unsurprising that the streets were completely filled for the celebration.
Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune provides the official number courtesy of the Seattle Police Department:
SPD announces 700k fans downtown- Dave Boling (@DaveBoling) February 5, 2014
Even this huge number does not do justice to the amount of people packing the area just to get a glimpse of some of the players. Here is a look at some aerial shots of the fans clogging the roads:
#12s are ready at @CenturyLink_Fld #Celebrate48 http://ift.tt/1bxRwXs Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 5, 2014
Police are blocking fans from standing on 5th as Madison fills up. #celebrate48 http://ift.tt/1kYW3VM Junebug (@Juniebug360) February 5, 2014
Part of this huge collection of fans were some underage ones who should have been in school. Linda Shaw of The Seattle Times provided a look at how many people missed school on Wednesday:
Seattle schools report 565 teachers absent on Seahawk parade day, and 13,523 of the district's 51,000 students.- Linda Shaw (@LShawST) February 5, 2014
Although most public schools remained open, head coach Pete Carroll wanted them shut down for the event, telling ESPN's Terry Blount earlier in the week:
Heck yeah they should. There's some big educating going on this Wednesday. Seriously, in my mind, it really is about the kids. It starts a memory about following your team that lasts a lifetime. This is all what it's all about.
And I feel so humbled about bringing this championship back to Seattle. There's no fan base that deserves this more, one that has supported this team with more passion and love and spirit. So yeah, shut down school. Let's do this celebration rightfully and peacefully.
Many of the parents and students listened and were in attendance for the parade. They joined hundreds of thousands and fans, and even some animals:
Of course, the big show was the team itself. Carroll sent out these tweets to get people excited:
Time to party today #12s! World Champions!! Can't wait to celebrate with you all... Be safe and let's have a blast!- Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) February 5, 2014
Just about to kick off the parade!! The #12s are out in full force on this beautiful day for a celebration!!!- Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) February 5, 2014
Once the parade officially started, you could see the emotion pouring out of the popular coach:
Captured @PeteCarroll as the parade began. His expression tells it all. #Celebrate48 #GoHawks http://ift.tt/1bxRuPu Kristi Waite (@kristiwaite) February 5, 2014
Each positional group then spent time on its own military truck. Kam Chancellor was part of the "Legion of Boom" with the Lombardi Trophy:
Doug Kimura provided another look at the safety with the Super Bowl trophy:
Obviously, starting quarterback Russell Wilson was one of the more popular players of the event:
Wilson also provided his view of the event from the truck:
Richard Sherman was unsurprisingly enjoying himself during the parade:
Marshawn Lynch was not with the running backs, but instead on the first duck boat, obviously throwing Skittles into the crowd. KOMO news captured the action:
Marshawn Lynch is sitting on the hood of the first Duck, tossing out Skittles to the crowd :) http://ift.tt/1kYW1NJ KOMO News (@komonews) February 5, 2014
Golden Tate made his appearance, pumping up fans while holding a flag for the 12th man:
It's Showtime! @ShowtimeTate #Celebrate48 #SuperBowlChamps http://ift.tt/1kYW3VO Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 5, 2014
Meanwhile, Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith was amazed by the amount of people there watching:
During the parade, there was a bit of a breaking from the yelling to create even more yelling. Washington governor Jay Inslee declared 12:12 to be a "Moment of Loud":
Unsurprisingly, the "12th Man" came through with plenty of screams, although it was hard to differentiate this from the rest of the exciting event.
While there was no mistaking the fun and celebration, CBS News' Tim Williams reported a more serious situation regarding cell-phone usage:
The entire day was full of excitement throughout the course that ran down Fourth Avenue all the way into CenturyLink Field. Safeco Field even brought in some fans that could not fit in the football stadium.
It was clear this was one of the biggest events in the city's history and a fitting end to a fantastic season for the football team. Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
Original Post by: http://ift.tt/N4kCp2
http://ift.tt/N4kCp2