You’ve seen the headlines, or TikToks — the traffic cones on statues, the pubs drunk dry, the throngs of men in kilts.
The Tartan Army took Boston by storm in the best possible way last week during Scotland’s run of games in Foxborough, and The Boston Globe has chronicled the happy chaos with zeal. “As they swept through the city with giddy abandon, all the logistical concerns fell aside, forgotten in a swirl of song and drink and shared devotion,” assistant news editor Peter Schworm wrote. “Boston quickly forgot itself, shedding its skeptical reserve and embracing the joy of the event in full measure, cast under the Scottish spell.”
On Saturday, the newspaper went so far as to publish a full-page ad thanking Scottish fans for “the joy you brought to our city.”
In today’s @BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/AVejWDgIsO
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) June 20, 2026
“The idea to do an ad just emerged organically from conversations among our executive leadership team,” Michelle Micone, the Globe’s chief marketing and strategic initiatives officer, told me in an email. “As a storyteller of the city, we felt the brand was in a unique position to recognize this once-in-a-lifetime moment. We felt strongly it needed to be a statement from the institution itself.” She called it “more of a civic gesture than a commemorative message,” and credited the marketing and production teams with bringing the idea to life on short notice ahead of a holiday weekend.
Other community institutions have expressed their gratitude publicly, too: After the Tartan Army’s viral musical takeover of Fenway Park, The Boston Red Sox sent a letter to the Scottish FA for showing “a spirit that has no equivalent in American sport.”
“They treated our home like their own,” Red Sox President Sam Kennedy wrote, “and we are better for it.”
The Globe ad was picked up by some national and international media. “For us at the Globe, it’s been a reminder that we are a media organization, but we’re also part of the fabric of this region,” Micone said. “And it’s important that we demonstrate leadership during iconic moments of community pride and reflect the sense of connection people are feeling.”
