For a day, Cleveland was a city of champions.
More than 1 million of them — people who dedicated one last burst of energy to fight traffic and celebrate the greatest sports victory in Northeast Ohio in more than half a century.
Undaunted by stalled downtown exit ramps, parking garages with signs that said “Full,” and a Regional Transit Authority that repeatedly apologized for delays, the fans persevered, and then cheered.
While seven reporters and photographers were on the ground in Cleveland, Beacon Journal reporter Bob Downing worked at his desk in the Beacon Journal gathering their tweets and emails, monitored official websites, other media and assembled a moment-by-moment report for Ohio.com readers — a story that remained the best-read online for most of the day.
His work captured the events. Here is a sample of his posts.
8:22 a.m.: Parking lot operators near the parade route are charging as much as $50.
8:37 a.m.: All hotel rooms within 15 miles of downtown Cleveland were booked Tuesday night, according to media reports.
8:43 a.m.: Beacon Journal staff writer Craig Webb and newsnet5.com report that the Akron-based LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club has successfully made it through traffic to Cleveland aboard a bus.
8:58 a.m.: Traffic on Interstate 71 is backed up from Strongsville to West 150th Street. Traffic is still heavy on I-77. Some exit ramps in downtown Cleveland have been closed by Cleveland police.
9:05 a.m.: Beacon Journal reporter Bob Dyer reports that the wait for trains at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is five hours. There are media reports that some flights are being delayed because flight crews cannot make it through heavy traffic. An airport spokesman says those reports were incorrect and no flights were delayed, but airport parking is full.
10:24 a.m.: Fox 8 reporter Patty Harken, in a helicopter, describes downtown Cleveland as “a sea of people … a beautiful sea of humanity.”
10:51 a.m.: Beacon Journal sports reporter Nate Ulrich makes it into downtown on foot. He parks in Ohio City and walks across the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge that was closed to traffic. Nate calls his trek “our adventurous journey.”
11:03 a.m.: The Goodyear blimp is providing breathtaking views of the massive crowds that are lining downtown streets.
11:23 a.m.: 74 degrees and sunny in Cleveland.
11:40 a.m.: Machines loaded with 1,500 pounds of confetti are shooting clouds into the air.
11:37 a.m.: The parade is underway.
11:53 p.m.: Cheers go to retired Cleveland Cavaliers player Austin Carr and Cleveland Browns legends Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar, all on parade floats.
12:09 p.m.: The Larry O’Brien NBA championship trophy rides on a pickup truck.
12:13 p.m.: Guard Kyrie Irving is spotted on television running along the parade route and exchanging high-fives.
12:22 p.m.: The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School marching band precedes the convertible with Akron native LeBron James. There are media reports that James said earlier Wednesday that he will return to the Cavaliers next year.
12:37 p.m.: Guard Mo Williams joins guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in going shirtless.
1:01 p.m.: As LeBron James approaches, fans chant “MVP, MVP, MVP.” James raises both arms in his convertible as he approaches the giant LeBron James banner near the Quicken Loans Arena, reports Beacon Journal sports columnist Marla Ridenour.
1:04 p.m.: Parade is moving slowly because of the large crowds that must be repeatedly moved back to allow the parade to proceed.
1:18 p.m.: Parade-goers can buy a button that simply says “Bye Ayesha.” That’s a reference to the not-shy wife of Warriors guard Steph Curry.
1:43 p.m.: Officials report a number of parade-goers suffering from heat exhaustion.
1:45 p.m.: Forward Kevin Love is spotted holding two WWE title belts.
1:47 p.m.: ESPN reports that Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue met and embraced former Browns running back Earnest Byner (“The Fumble”) before the parade.
2:23 p.m.: Instagram photos show parade watchers sitting atop portable toilets. Yech!
2:35 p.m.: J.R. Smith holds up a sign giving three choices for President: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and himself. There was a big check mark next to Smith’s name.
3 p.m.: The parade continues to move ever so slowly as crowds spill into the streets, blocking progress. But that enables fans to get close and interact with the players. Temperatures climb to 84 degrees.
3:41 p.m.: The Cavaliers finally take the stage on Mall B to Queen’s We Are the Champions.
3:50 p.m.: Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish asks for a moment of silence to honor “the death of the Cleveland curse.”
4:01 p.m.: “Wow, this is unbelievable,” says Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin of the parade and party.
4:12 p.m.: Players are introduced by Cavs play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod and given a chance to speak. Iman Shumpert calls the party “unbelievable” and he asks everyone to be safe leaving the party. Mo Williams says, “I’m a champ.” Fans chant “One more year” to retiring forward Richard Jefferson. J.R. Smith receives big, long applause. Kevin Love, with two wrestling belts, says the team’s closeness is striking. “We’re all brothers,” he says.
4:28 p.m.: Guard Kyrie Irving wins the most applause (so far). He is hailed for “The Shot.” But he lauds LeBron James for “The Block.” He calls the season “a very, very special year.”
4:30 p.m.: LeBron James is introduced last. He says he is speaking from the heart. He says he heard a lot of “Thank you, LeBron,” during the parade. He asks the crowd to thank the entire team. He then lists the contributions of each of the players, his brothers.
Contributing to this report were Beacon Journal reporters Bob Downing, Marla Ridenour, Jason Lloyd, George Thomas, Nate Ulrich, Bob Dyer and Craig Webb and photographer Phil Masturzo.