Super Bowl XLVIII and the Friendly Political Wager

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Sunday December 22, 2013 · 10:00 AM PST

2013/12/22 · 10:00

Since at least the mid-1990s (if not earlier), mayors, governors, senators, and even presidents and prime ministers have made symbolic friendly political wagers on the result of major sports events. This stakes in this tradition typically involve local food items, "cute" embarrassing situations (such as the mayor of the losing team's city posting a YouTube video of him or her wearing the other team's jersey at a public event), public service projects, and the like.

For example, in the 2009-2010 NFL playoffs:

Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota made a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2010 National Football Conference Championship Game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings: "If the Saints win, Klobuchar will cook gumbo and deliver it to Landrieu's office while wearing a Drew Brees jersey for Louisiana constituents to enjoy. If the Vikings win, Landrieu will cook a Minnesota wild rice casserole and deliver it to Klobuchar's office while wearing a Brett Favre jersey for Minnesota constituents to enjoy." The Saints won.

Likewise:

During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, US President Barack Obama and Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper wagered a case of beer on the outcome of the gold medal game in the men's ice hockey tournament. President Obama sent Prime Minister Harper a case of Molson Canadian and a case of Yuengling lager (Obama's favorite beer, brewed in Pennsylvania) to settle the bet.

So I was thinking about the forthcoming Super Bowl. At this moment, the odds-on favorites are the Denver Broncos to represent the AFC, and the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC.

Take a look past the orange deflated pigskin for what crossed my mind.

During this past year, both Colorado and Washington state have legalized private possession and consumption of marijuana, as well as the regulated and taxed sale of same (via Amendment 64 and Initiative 502, respectively). Although no licensed outlets have yet opened in either state, they are scheduled to do so in January 2014 or shortly thereafter. It's also important to note that in neither state is interstate sales or transferral legal, and some cities or counties may have more restrictive regulations than others as to where and when marijuana may be consumed.

Nevertheless, it occurred to me the other night that if Denver and Seattle were to meet in Super Bowl XLVIII, and the mayors or governors thereof were to make a friendly political wager, wouldn't it be just wonderful if the stakes would be that the loser would have to come to the winner's locale and spark up a fatty?

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