2019 Nationals World Series Parade
Image courtesy of The New York Times
By Noelia Veras
Red shirts, large flags, and proud signs lined Constitution Avenue on Saturday as people shouted at the top of their lungs celebrating the iconic World Series win by the Nationals baseball team. The Washington Nationals team, endearingly called the Nats, won the World Series for the first time in history, riling up D.C. natives.
The entire day people were chanting “fight finished,” celebrating the groundbreaking victory. The weather was perfect for a joyous parade, as the air was crisp and the sun was out.
From families to college students, the crowd was diverse and full of energy. Before arriving, the metros were packed all morning with people repping Nats jerseys and t-shirts. The parade officially began in front of the African American History Museum and ended closer to the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue. The parade was set to start at 2 p.m. but people were present long before the official start of the parade. The beginning of the mark was almost hard to pinpoint as its beginning was seamless. As people marched, double-decker buses filled with members of the team drove in front of crowds as the players took their shirts off, showed off the impressive trophy, led the crowd in chants, and caught and chugged beers thrown by the fans. Confetti came from the sky and music blared as people chanted in unity. On Constitution Avenue and adjacent streets, vendors sold t-shirts and general merchandising celebrating the Nats win.
Eventually, the team got up on a stage in front of the Capitol to give thanks to its followers and express gratitude for the incredible win. Several players said quick words to the crowd, as Adam Eaton, an outfielder for the Nationals, invited his teammates to share moments with the fans. Some players shared their own experiences in the journey that they had in winning the world series, while others thanking D.C. in its entirety.
“We’re 2019 World Series champs,” said Ryan Zimmerman, audibly choking up. “And nobody can ever take this away from us.”
“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in professional sports,” said the manager of the team, Mike Rizzo.
For the last time this season, fans clapped and shamelessly sang to the team’s song “Baby Shark.” The crowd was zealous, and genuine glee radiated from everyone. Several Catholic University students attended the parade and joined in the historic moment.
“It was really exciting and cool to be apart of this large group of strangers celebrating a win all together,“ said sophomore marketing major Abbey Ottaviano. “I also saw red for miles upon miles. It was insanity. Them winning the World Series doesn’t really mean much for me except it gave me a great reason to hang out in the city with some great friends and cheer with one of my friends who loves them so much.”
Overall, the parade was exhilarating and ultimately unifying for all of D.C. From people standing on lampposts, to climbing on railings, and sitting atop the shoulders of their loved ones, everyone was doing whatever they could to see the champions. The parade brought an overwhelming amount of pride for the teamwork exemplified by the Nationals and will certainly go down in D.C.’s history books.
