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The United States Women’s National Team made history this past Sunday when they won their fourth Women’s World Cup in Lyon, France. This Wednesday, July 10, Megan Rapinoe and crew will be returning home to one of New York City’s most time-honored traditions—a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes.
The parade will be kicking off from the Battery at 9:30am and march up Broadway to City Hall. Once the team has arrived at City Hall, there will be a ceremony celebrating their achievements hosted by Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray. Tickets for the event are free, but one must register here starting at 2pm on July 8.
YES YES YES YES!
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 7, 2019
To our 2019 World Cup Champion @USWNT: you have inspired the entire country — and New York City knows how to celebrate champions. We’ll see you Wednesday at 9:30 AM for the Ticker Tape Parade down the Canyon of Heroes. #OneNationOneTeam pic.twitter.com/bwCEoJYg3r
Ticker-tape parades have honored a multitude of different world leaders, sports teams, astronauts and heroes since the first impromptu parade celebrating the dedication of the Statue of Liberty back in 1886. Some of the reasons for the parades seems a little bit odd: Theodore Roosevelt received a parade for returning home from an African safari in 1910 and Connie Mack was feted for his 50th season as manager of the Philadelphia A’s in the 1950s, for example.
The parade route will definitely seem familiar to Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, coach Jill Ellis and others—the last time NYC threw a ticker-tape parade was to honor the 2015 USWNT as they came home from Vancouver after winning their third Women’s World Cup Title.
Over the past month millions of people throughout the country have become enamored with this team, even if they don’t consider themselves to be regular soccer fans. Not only does this team exudes confidence on the pitch (ex. Morgan’s tea sipping goal celebration), but they have been outspoken off it as well, most notably as they demand equal pay for their achievements. This team has touched a nerve with the American public through a combination of their beautiful play on the pitch, the joyfulness in their accomplishments, and the way they strive to make the game (and the world) a better place for the women who follow in their footsteps.
If you are looking to join the celebration on Wednesday, or if you just need to find a way to get to work on time, make sure to check with NYC.gov for all the details and road closures. MTA trains may also be affected by the event, but they have not posted any details as of this writing, so check with them as the date draws nearer.