He's Going to 'Disney World!'

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno, AOL Black Voices Columnist,
Posted: 2007-02-08 16:33:34
Dungy Still Making History

A Super Achievement

Tony DungyWireImage.com

Tony Dungy becomes the first black coach to star in his own, "I'm going to Disneyworld" commercial.

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    Yes, congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts and Tony Dungy for winning the Super Bowl. Dungy is the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl title, and we’ve been told that to death. But nobody is talking about Dungy’s other benchmark in history. He is the first Black coach to star in his own, “I’m going to Disneyworld” commercial! Winning does have perks. That’s right! Shortly after time ran out on the most-watched sports event in the world, cameras caught Tony Dungy, along with Dominic Rhodes, saying “I’m going to Disneyworld.” The commercial was the 37th Disney commercial since it began in 1987 with Phil Simms uttering the phrase after winning Super Bowl XXI. Other athletes who went to Disney World include Emmitt Smith, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Jordan , Jerry Rice , Barry Bonds , Terrell Davis and others. So let’s not forget to put this in our history books folks!

    Serena Williams Gets Animated

    You Make the Call

    It’s nice to see Serena Williams working her way back to prominence by beating Maria Sharapova to take the title at the Australian Open, but that doesn’t mean she’s leaving Hollywood alone. Williams recently signed on to lend her voice to the children’s animated show, “Loonatics Unleashed.” Her character is Queen Athena who oversees an island of beautiful, powerful women who are planning devious things for the planet and all the men. "The character was described as being tall, strong, beautiful, so I guess that's how I got the role," Williams laughingly told the Associated Press. "I liked bringing my own character to the role. I've always thought of myself as a princess, but Athena is a queen. So I had to work it a little."

    The episode Williams will air on Feb. 17 on the CW Network. In the past, Williams has appeared in episodes of 'ER', “The Division”, “Law & Order: SVU” and “My Wife & Kids.”

    Shaq Sick of Fat Kids

    The Player's Life

    Namond, Carmelo Anthony


    • Live the Life

      In the Knicks-Nuggets brawl, Carmelo acted more like Namond from 'The Wire' than an NBA baller who just donated $1.5 million to help Baltimore's youth.

    Shaq announced that he’s teaming up with CytoSport , maker of Mighty Milk Nutritional Drink, to help promote a healthy lifestyle for children and defeat childhood obesity. “When I was a kid, we didn’t have access to so many computer and video games…we were more active (physical activity was everything for me),” Shaq said. “In addition, we didn’t have jumbo meals, the super-sized sandwiches or the amount of candy and chips that are available today. We need to educate parents and teachers so they make the correct purchasing decisions. It’s very important for the schools to get involved, too, so they help kids lead a well-balanced life, which includes eating well-balanced meals.” Statistics show that 87 percent of kids have poor eating habits and that there are a record 25 million overweight children in the U.S. today. Shaq and the Mighty Milk folks also plan to host essay contests and a comprehensive marketing campaign.

    Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry Join Gillette

    Shortly after Tiger finished third at the Dubai Desert Classic , Gillette (yes, the shaving cream company) announced that they signed Tiger Woods, soccer star Thierry Henry , and tennis star Roger Federer to an endorsement deal that would have the trio starring in an array of TV commercials. Woods is down with Gillette, but admitted that his facial hair didn’t start growing until later in life. "I started (shaving) a little late. My stubble didn't quite grow in," Woods told the Associated Press. "My dad showed me how to do it and I tried to do it just like him. I got foam all over the place." Henry, for those who don’t know, is a brother from France and plays for Arsenal in the English Premier (soccer) League.

    Vernon Wells Kicks Down a Cool $1 million

    It must be nice to be Vernon Wells . The Blue Jays center fielder recently signed a $126 million contract with the franchise that will run from 2008-14. But Wells is not spending all that cash on cars and platinum chains; he’s helping out other people’s kids. Last week Wells was at the sold-out 3rd Annual Reverse Draw fundraising event that went down in Toronto. The last two years the event has raised over $100,000 for the Jays Cares Foundation, the non-profit run by the Toronto Blue Jays. This time, however, Wells surprised organizers by dropping a $1 million check on them. And he announced that he will kick down $1 million every year of his contract. The Jays Care Foundation provides numerous programs from thousands of underprivileged kids in the Toronto area.

    Ronnie Brown Hosts Financial Football

    With kids today texting like like crazy, and continually playing games on their cell phones, VISA hooked up with Miami Dolphin Ronnie Brown , Saints QB Drew Brees to try and capitalize on it. VISA came up with a new cell phone game called Financial Football in which the players answer financial trivia questions to move the ball forward. If they answer incorrectly, they can be sacked, throw an incompletion or hit for a loss. "Teaching the fundamentals of money management in school gives young people a real advantage in today's financially diverse society," Brown said. "I'm glad for the opportunity to teach these Miami Beach students how to manage their money because it is such a vital life skill." To find out how to get the game on your phone (Cingular and Sprint) or to just play the game online, http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/CellFootball. Trust us. It's not that easy.

    2005-06-09 12:23:55

    About the Author

    BV Sports' Quibian Salazar-Moreno

    About the Author: Quibian Salazar-Moreno is a freelance writer living in Denver and a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices. You can e-mail him or visit his Web site to talk sports, entertainment and everything in between. His column appears every Thursday.

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