How to Watch the U.S. Women’s National Team Victory Parade

The U.S. women’s national soccer team will have a victory parade in New York City on Wednesday, and there are lots of ways for fans to tune in. The traditional ticker tape parade will air on local CBS affiliate WCBS-TV in the New York area, and will stream online with CBS News. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The parade will take the acclaimed U.S. women’s national team through the Canyon of Heroes, where the Olympic team celebrates its own championship parades. It is open to the public, and it will end at City Hall. There, another ceremony celebrating the team will take place, but registration for the event has reportedly been closed.

The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. ET sharp on Wednesday morning. It will take a straight route from Battery Park to City Hall, along Broadway. It is expected to take about an hour, so that the ceremony can begin at 10:30 a.m. ET. Both parts will air on the local news, and stream on CBSN. Viewers can subscribe to the CBS All Access streaming app to watch live TV online as well.

The U.S. women’s national team has already celebrated one ticker tape parade in New York City, following their 2015 World Cup victory. They were the first women’s sports team ever to be honored with the parade, and Mayor Bill de Blasio gifted every team member a key to the city.

The tradition of the ticker tape parade goes back to 1886, according to amNewYork. It was named for the one-inch pieces of paper that were used to record stock quotes in those days, which people threw out the window as makeshift confetti over the processions. At the time, the first parade celebrated the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France.

The parade was mimicked in 1924 to honor the U.S. Olympic team of the year. Since then, it has become a beloved tradition for successful national athletic teams, including World Cup winners when the U.S. manages to get one.

The U.S. women’s national team beat the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday, winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. They brought attention to a sport that rarely gets much coverage in the U.S., and fired up a political controversy in the process.

Weeks before their win, co-caption Megan Rapinoe told reporters from Eight by Eight that she was “not going to the f-ing White House,” and doubted she would be invited anyway. Rapinoe, an openly homosexual player, was the first white athlete to kneel in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick during the National Anthem, and she assumed her reputation would keep her from visiting the White House.

Just before their victory, Rapinoe told reporters that “not many, if any” of her teammates would go to the White House if they were invited. So far, the president has not decided whether to extend the invitation or not.