WHEN SPORTS, POLITICS MIX
Toronto Mayor John Tory and Kansas City Mayor Sly James aren’t the first politicians to battle over sports.
Toronto’s Rob Ford vs. Calgary’s Naheed Nenshi It was a battle of the bulge when two Canadian mayors went head-to-head before a 2012 Grey Cup game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary Mayor Nenshi egged on Toronto’s Rob Ford with a wager requiring the mayor of the losing city to donate his weight in food to a food bank in the winning city and to wear the victor team’s jersey at a council meeting. The scales tipped in Ford’s favour.
U.S. President Barack Obama vs. Canada’s Stephen Harper U.S. President Barack Obama had to pony up two cases of beer for Prime Minister Stephen Harper after the U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s hockey teams lost to their counterparts in Canada in 2014. The beer — one case of Honey Porter and one of Honey Blonde — was brewed with honey from First Lady Michelle Obama’s beehive.
Ottawa’s Jim Watson vs. Montreal’s Denis Coderre The 2015 NHL playoffs featured a tasty twist when Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson made a wager with Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre. The losing city’s mayor agreed to wear the winning team’s jersey to a council meeting and fly the team’s flag at city hall for a week. Plus, Coderre vowed to send smoked meat to Watson if Ottawa won, while Watson promised Coderre bearver tails if Montreal claimed the game. Watson lost.
Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa vs. Boston’s Thomas Menino Star power was on the line when L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made a bet with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino that the Lakers would win the 2010 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. If Villaraigosa lost, he would permit Lakers fan and actor Jack Nicholson to wear Celtics colours in a Boston commercial, while Menino offered up Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for a Los Angeles tourism promotion. The Lakers came out on top, but it’s unclear if an ad was ever made.
Green Bay’s Jim Schmitt vs. Pittsburgh’s Luke Ravenstahl Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl had to roll up his sleeves to shovel a church walkway after he and Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt made a wager over the 2011 Super Bowl. The loser, they decided, would have to clear the snow off a rival team’s fan’s walkway. The pavement Ravenstahl cleared belonged to a church attended by Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy’s parents.
Virginia’s Charles Robb vs. Florida’s Bob Graham The 1983 Super Bowl took a wild turn when Virginia Gov. Charles Robb and Florida Gov. Bob Graham wagered animals in a bet over whose team would win the matchup. Robb put a live pig — a reference to the Washington, D.C. team’s “Hog” nickname — on the line while Graham turned to 3,000 bees, a take on Miami’s “Killer Bs” defence. When he lost, a Florida paper reported that Graham made good on his bet, even sending extra bees for a total of 30,000. Tara Deschamps