Cleveland has been celebrating since Sunday night and the joy shows no signs of abating.
After 52 years, the city finally has a significant sports victory to celebrate. It should come as no surprise that LeBron James and the Cavaliers won the NBA championship on Sunday.
After the victory, crowds gathered in the streets unexpectedly. When the Cavaliers flew in from Los Angeles, they were hailed by even more throngs of fans. And on Wednesday at noon, the city hosted a parade that had thousands gathered the night before.
We have “a lot of biblical references here,” Mark Urycki of WCPN’s member station tells our Newscast section, “when you talk about King James, who was known as the Chosen One, and then the Second Coming.” This championship victory is quite remarkable.Season ticket holder from the suburbs who drove into town for the procession, according to Urycki, described the experience as a “pilgrimage.”
According to Urycki, “I talked to several people yesterday at the hotels who told me that it’s all Clevelanders, Ohioans, and just Cavs fans from around the country who are flying home just to be here for this parade.” People’s feelings are deeply affected by it.
Incredible crowds showed up for the parade thanks to the combination of a sunny day and strong local pride.
Is this parade really that big of a deal?
The city courts of Cleveland, and this is real, are not charging fines or issuing arrest warrants to anyone who skips a court date due to the party.
According to the AP, Cleveland hasn’t celebrated a major championship win since 1964.
“Championships were nothing out of the ordinary,” the news agency writes. From 1946 to 1955, the Browns won seven championships.
Things have changed drastically over a decade.
The AP notes that the last time Cleveland celebrated a sports team with a parade was in 1995, when the Indians returned to the World Series for the first time since 1954. They were defeated by Atlanta.
“A victory parade for finishing in second place.”
In any case, that was then. Time has come.
And now Cleveland is a city that regularly produces winners.
