A friendly political wager is a largely symbolic wager made between politicians representing two cities or areas on the outcome of an important sports contest between teams representing those same two cities or areas. These wagers are most commonly made on the results of playoffs in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

, National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 and Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

. Although they are technically a form of sports betting

Sports betting

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...

, they are generally considered good fun, good sportsmanship and good public relations.

Differences from typical sports betting

Friendly political wagers

• The wagers are highly publicised, usually with official press releases.
• The participants are generally high-ranking politicians; most commonly mayor
  Mayor
  In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
  
  s, but also frequently including governors
  Governor (United States)
  In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state.-Role and powers:...
  
  , and Senators
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
   and (much more rarely) even national leaders.
• The participants must bet in favor of the team that they represent; for instance, the mayor of Green Bay would only make a friendly wager of this sort on the outcome of a Green Bay Packers
  Green Bay Packers
  The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
  
   game, betting in favor of the Packers.
• Usually occur during high-profile playoff games.
• Are for symbolic wagers, usually prestige or local food.

Money is never involved in friendly political wagers.

Examples

The most common types of wager are those for symbolic value only, and those for a token food prize.

For example in the 2009–10 NFL playoffs

2009–10 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 2009 season began on January 9, 2010 and led up to Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...

, two bets were made:

• Senators Mary Landrieu
  Mary Landrieu
  Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
  
   of Louisiana
  Louisiana
  Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
  
   and Amy Klobuchar
  Amy Klobuchar
  Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
  
   of Minnesota
  Minnesota
  Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
  
   made a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2010 National Football Conference Championship Game between the New Orleans Saints
  New Orleans Saints
  The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
  
   and the Minnesota Vikings
  Minnesota Vikings
  The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
  
  : "If the Saints win, Klobuchar will cook gumbo
  Gumbo
  Gumbo is a stew or soup that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions...
  
   and deliver it to Landrieu's office while wearing a Drew Brees
  Drew Brees
  Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
  
   jersey for Louisiana constituents to enjoy. If the Vikings win, Landrieu will cook a Minnesota wild rice
  Wild rice
  Wild rice is four species of grasses forming the genus Zizania, and the grain which can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America and China...
  
   casserole
  Casserole
  A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
  
   and deliver it to Klobuchar's office while wearing a Brett Favre
  Brett Favre
  Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
  
   jersey for Minnesota constituents to enjoy." The Saints won. http://landrieu.senate.gov/releases/09/2010122855.htmlhttp://landrieu.senate.gov/releases/09/2010125C26.htmlhttp://www.sctimes.com/article/20100127/NEWS01/101270064/1009/Landrieu-gets-gumbo--Minnesota-style--after-Klobuchar-loses-bet
• Maryland Governor
  Governor of Maryland
  The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
  
   Martin O'Malley
  Martin O'Malley
  Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...
  
   and Massachusetts Governor
  Governor of Massachusetts
  The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
  
   Deval Patrick
  Deval Patrick
  Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
  
   bet over the outcome of the game between the Baltimore Ravens
  Baltimore Ravens
  The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
  
   and the New England Patriots
  New England Patriots
  The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
  
  . O'Malley promised Maryland crab cake
  Crab cake
  A crab cake is an American dish composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, milk, mayonnaise, eggs, yellow onions, and seasonings. Occasionally other ingredients such as red or green peppers or pink radishes are added, at which point the cake is then sautéed, baked,...
  
  s to Patrick if the Ravens lost, while Patrick pledged lobster
  Lobster
  Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
  
  s if the Patriots lost. The Ravens prevailed, and O'Malley, in a YouTube
  YouTube
  YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
  
   video, said "Hey Deval, send down the lob-stah" in a mock Boston accent
  Boston English
  Boston English may refer to multiple topics.*Boston accent, the dialect of English around Boston, Massachusetts* English High School of Boston...
  
  ." http://www.wbz.com/pages/6096811.php?

During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, US President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper

Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...

wagered a box of beer on the outcome of Gold Medal Game of men's ice hockey.