Patriots fans apparently aren’t tired of parades

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Aidan McGovern

Patriots fans gathered on Boylston Street watch the duck boats go by.

Aidan McGovern, deputy city editor

An estimated 1.5 million Patriots fans took to Boylston Street Tuesday morning to celebrate the team’s sixth Super Bowl win, marking their third victory in the last five years.  

The parade brought droves of fans of all ages to Boston, with the day’s above-average temperatures only strengthening turnout. Students from across the Commonwealth skipped class and adults called off work to attend. An operator for the MBTA’s Commuter Rail even said in a statement that the entire network saw record-breaking ridership numbers.

But as fans rushed to fill the sidewalks in anticipation of the team’s procession, did they radiate the same enthusiasm as in years past? Did high turnout numbers reflect continued energy? Many of the crowd’s signs confirmed fan engagement with simple phrases such as “Never Gets Old” and “Still Here.”

“It doesn’t get old; I almost feel like it gets better,” said Kristen Wesche, 39. She said that the fact that she now lives in Connecticut among Giants, Jets and Steelers fans brings her more validation with each additional Patriots win.

“It gives you more pride, I think, and more energy to win,” Wesche said.

Wesche and her family made a near three-hour drive to Boston from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, to celebrate the sixth ring, but also for fear that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski may soon retire from the sport.

“It’s almost like we’ve watched them grow, and we’ve watched their families grow, so I think at the end of the game it was almost more touching to see them with their families because we’ve watched them with their kids growing up,” Wesche said.

Other fans shared similar stories of love for and commitment to the Patriots once all the duck boats had passed through the first stretch of the parade route.

“A lot of electricity, never gets old, Masshole ‘till I die,” said Dante Che, a junior at College of the Holy Cross.

Che’s friend and classmate Hannah Chapman agreed with the “never gets old” mentality. “It’s been a long 97 days since our last championship parade,” Chapman said, in reference to the Red Sox parade that followed the World Series.

Patriots fans like Heather Cook, a senior at Stonehill College, praise the “Never Gets Old” attitude and hope it will bring the team more Super Bowl wins in the future.

“[The win] is as exciting as the second, the fifth and as the next one will be,” Cook said.