Governors’ Super Bowl ‘Bet’ Has Absolutely Nothing at Stake
It seems the three governors who made a “bet’’ on the result of the Super Bowl need a refresher on what a bet actually is.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee have all agreed to “wage [a] friendly bet’’ on the Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots game Sunday night. Baker and Hassan “bet’’ on the Pats; Inslee “bet’’ on the Seahawks.
So what was the wager? Baker will give Boston cream pie cupcakes from Springfield’s Koffee Kup Bakery to a Washington food pantry, “win or lose.’’ Hassan will donate bacon, “win or lose.’’ Inslee will donate 1,000 cups of Ivar’s Chowder clam chowder to Massachusetts and New Hampshire food pantries. Yes, “win or lose.’’
This, on its face, is completely ridiculous. A wager is not a wager if nothing is being wagered. When every donation will be given away “win or lose,’’ there is no bet. Quite literally, absolutely nothing is at stake for these governors in the Super Bowl. Baker and Hassan are not betting on the Patriots to win, and Inslee is not betting on the Seahawks.
That’s not the only fumble with this supposed wager (that should have been an easy political PR win). How, exactly, did New Hampshire get involved here?
Sure, the Patriots are from “New England,’’ but their stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They are based in Boston. They held their Super Bowl rally at Boston City Hall. New Hampshire is a valuable fan base for the team, but their governor has no business treating the Patriots like a group of hometown heroes.
Over the years, the mayor of New York City has made these types of bets on the New York Giants or Jets, despite their stadium’s location in New Jersey. At least the Meadowlands is a suburb of New York City. Hassan’s Super Bowl bet represents the opposite situation of a smaller state taking claim for a bigger state’s team. New Hampshire’s involvement is the equivalent of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie making a wager on the Yankees.
Perhaps we can chalk up New Hampshire’s involvement to an outsider’s mistake. A spokesperson for Hassan said New Hampshire was contacted by Gov. Inslee’s office to include them in the faux-wager. A spokesperson for Baker did not respond to a question about how New Hampshire got involved.
It’s great that the governors’ food donations will go to people in need. But while there’s still time before the big game, they should make an actual bet on their teams. Our suggestion? If the Seahawks win, Baker has to eat all of the Boston cream pie cupcakes by himself, and Hassan has to eat all of the bacon. If the Patriots win, Inslee has to force down 1,000 cups of clam chowder.
Then they’ll really be putting their money where their mouth is.
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