“What Will You Celebrate?”: Winning the Super Bowl
It’s never too early to celebrate. I guess that’s why the Super Bowl champions will be appearing at the Magic Kingdom today:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – So how are Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrating their heroic play in Super Bowl XLIII? In the frenzied moments just after their team claimed the National Football League championship Sunday night in Tampa in dramatic fashion, they stood in front of a TV camera and shouted five words that have become an almost iconic reaction to milestone achievements: “I’m going to Disney World!”
Their pronouncement, part of the production for one of TV’s most enduring and celebrated commercials, was captured after the Steelers’ 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals – a game during which Holmes earned the MVP honor, catching nine Roethlisberger passes for 131 yards, including a game-winning 6-yard TD reception with 35 seconds left. Roethlisberger finished with 21 completions in 30 attempts for 256 yards. During Pittsburgh’s decisive 78-yard drive in the final 2:37, the pair connected four times for 73 yards as the Steelers earned an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl victory.
On Monday (Feb. 2), Holmes and Roethlisberger will go to the place where millions of vacationers celebrate their personal milestone moments. They will be joined in the Magic Kingdom by NFL Youth Football players from Jacksonville, Fla., who will participate with the Steeler stars in a Super Bowl celebration parade down Main Street, U.S.A.
This latest commercial is the milestone 40th of a series that began in 1987 following Super Bowl XXI. The first “ I’m going to Disney World” commercial, featuring New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, was regarded as a groundbreaking concept – a produced national commercial involving a current event, airing on major networks within hours of its conclusion. Holmes and Roethlisberger join a lineup of people from sports and beyond who have celebrated milestone accomplishments in “I’m going to Disney World” commercials.
And this latest installment, airing just hours after the conclusion of the game, followed a similar script just ahead of Holmes’ and Roethlisberger’s visit.