Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he wasn’t distracted thinking about Disneyland or a victory parade down Main Street U.S.A. as he led his team to a come-from-behind win over the San Francisco 49ers on Super Bowl Sunday and his third championship in five years. But he was motivated.
“I’m always motivated by trying to get back to Disneyland,” Mahomes said during an interview in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. “When the game ends, I’m always looking for that camera and saying, ‘I’m going to Disneyland.’ I got to do it with my family this time, which is always super special.”
Mahomes made good on his televised post-game promise of “I’m going to Disneyland” on Monday, Feb. 12 after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII the night before in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Emily Espitia dons her Taylor Swift-inspired Kansas City Chiefxe2x80x99s jersey as she waits for Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, , on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Melissa Patalan takes a picture with her daughter, Gracelynn Patalan, 3, as they wait for Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans cheer as Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans try to get as glimpse of Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, , on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans try to get as glimpse of Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Emily Espitia dons her Taylor Swift-inspired Kansas City Chiefxe2x80x99s jersey as she waits for Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Disneyland walk behind Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Super Bowl LVIII MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, greets fans on Main Street., U.S.A, during a cavalcade through Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25 to 22, on Sunday in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Mahomes has now won three Super Bowls and celebrated with victory parades at Disney World in 2020 and Disneyland last year and this year.
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Swifties hoping for a Disneyland appearance by pop singer Taylor Swift and her Chiefs boyfriend Travis Kelce had their dreams dashed.
Emily Espitia was in the front row of the Disneyland parade route in her Kansas City Swiftie sweatshirt along with thousands of Chiefs Kingdom to cheer on the Super Bowl victors — in hopes of catching a glimpse of the team’s most famous fan during the playoff run.
“I’m here to see Taylor,” said Espitia, 28, of Montebello. “I came just to see her.”
The Magic Key annual passholder who saw the Eras Tour five times last year knew a Swift sighting at Disneyland was a long shot — but worth a try nonetheless.
“I already knew coming into today that there was a very slim chance that she would be here,” Espitia said during an interview at Disneyland. “It’s still very exciting to be around everybody. There’s an infectious buzz.”
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The Chiefs crowd on Monday seemed bigger than last year. Chiefs fans were lined up five deep all along the parade route with the faithful waiting up to four hours for the 2 p.m. start of the Super Bowl victory cavalcade.
Thousands lined the Disneyland parade route on Monday as a cavalcade of pom pom-waving dancers marched in front of a float carrying Mahomes, Mickey and Minnie amid showers of red and gold confetti.
Chiefs fans in football jerseys, T-shirts and hats lined Main Street U.S.A. amid visitors wearing Mickey Mouse T-shirts and ears. A smattering of opposing fans hoping for better results next season came dressed in Saints, Cowboys, Eagles and even 49ers gear.
Reservations for daily visitors and annual passholders were sold out for last-minute Chiefs fans hoping to see Mahomes parade down Main Street U.S.A. on Monday at Disneyland.
The Disneyland celebration marked the third post-game trip to a Disney theme park for the three-time Super Bowl MVP.
Mahomes went to Disney World after he led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win in 2020 over the 49ers in Miami — a short trip from Florida’s Magic Kingdom. Last year, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona — making Disneyland the closer park.
Mahomes has dreamed of victory parades down Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland and Walt Disney World as the Super Bowl MVP since he was a 17-year-old high school quarterback in Texas.
“I bet it feels amazing to be the quarterback who says ‘I’m going to Disney World’ after winning the Super Bowl #QBs,” Mahomes tweeted in February 2013.
Back in 2013, Mahomes was a junior at Whitehouse High School about 100 miles southeast of Dallas and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had just celebrated a Super Bowl 47 victory with a parade at Florida’s Magic Kingdom.
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The tradition of Disney victory parades dates back to 1987 with the star of the game yelling “I’m going to Disneyland” or “I’m going to Disney World” from the field shortly after the final play. The players typically record two versions of the “What’s Next” commercial — one for Disneyland and another for Walt Disney World — that can be played in different television markets depending on their proximity to the California and Florida parks.
Most Super Bowl winners end up going to Disney World for their victory parades — largely because of post-game logistics.
Disneyland has hosted back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl parades with the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in 2022 and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in 2023.
In recent years, Disneyland has thrown Super Bowl victory parades for the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford (2022), Broncos’ Peyton Manning (2016), Patriots’ Julian Edelman and Malcolm Butler (2015) and Giants’ Eli Manning (2008).
The list of Super Bowl winners who have uttered the now famous lines include NFL legends Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Elway, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady has said the phrase multiple times.
Through the years, Disney has expanded the advertising campaign to include winners of the NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup, Winter Olympics and even “American Idol.” The Lakers’ Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser, the Angels’ Scott Spiezio and the Ducks’ Teemu Selanne have all uttered the phrase after championship seasons.
The Disney theme parks TV commercial tradition began in 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms yelled “I’m going to Disney World” after the Super Bowl. Disney paid Simms $75,000 to make the proclamation during the on-field celebration immediately following the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI victory, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I’m on the field — celebrating, soaking in the moment — and I feel a tap on my shoulder,” Simms told Sports Illustrated in 2015. “‘Disney!’ the guy says. I’d totally forgotten. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? We have to do this now?’ But OK, I do it. I say the lines just like they asked.”
The new Disneyland Super Bowl commercial with Mahomes and his family will air nationwide this week on major TV networks and social media sites.
