On Monday, Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco did what all conquering sports heroes do--he went to Disney World.
Flacco, who won MVP honors in Baltimore's 34-31 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, visited Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., part of an annual tradition for sports MVPs.
Riding in a bright red sports car alongside Mickey Mouse, Flacco rode down Disney World's Main Street USA in a hail of confetti as he was honored for his Sunday performance in New Orleans when he completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
The tradition of Disney World visits by MVPs of championship series across sports began with the NFL in 1987, when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXI after he set a Super Bowl record for completions on 22 of 25 passes for three touchdowns when he led the Giants to a 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Simms was the first of many athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball to visit Disney World since then. The tradition involves Disney crew approaching the MVPs once their series is concluded and upon asking "What are you going to do next?," the MVP--often jubilantly--answers, "I'm going to Disney World!"
On a sidenote, Flacco's teammate Ray Lewis, who won the MVP award in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, was not invited to Disney World after winning the award that year. This was largely due to the controversy stemming from Lewis' alleged involvement in a January 2000 murder in Atlanta, Ga., of which he avoided jail time after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and testifying against two other co-defendants.
Flacco, who is expecting his second child with his wife, Dana, told ESPN Monday that he has only one plan for his NFL career.
"I'm a Raven for life. That's the way I see it," said Flacco.
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