LOS ANGELES – Friendly wagers on the outcome of major sporting events have become a common occurrence in recent years. Elected officials, companies and nonprofits representing the competing cities often find cute ways to show support for their communities.
The bets often consist of things like cases of a popular local ice cream or stockpiles of foods associated with the competing cities.
But the mayors of Cincinnati and Los Angeles have upped the ante, if you will, by using Super Bowl LVI as a vehicle to raise money for their respective local children’s hospitals.
On Friday, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles announced the plan as a component of a two-part wager on the outcome of the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.
The winning mayor will personally contribute to the losing city’s children’s hospital – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles or Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – and encourage residents to do the same.
The second part of the bet is a little more traditional: The losing mayor will have to wear the winning team’s jersey at an upcoming public appearance.
“In Cincinnati, we’re incredibly proud of our children’s hospital,” Pureval said. “It provides world class care to both our residents and families across the globe. This is an opportunity to highlight its incredible work. Cincinnati fans are so passionate about the Bengals and our city that I’m confident they will commit themselves with the same passion to this philanthropic effort.”
“Angelenos fight hard and we win graciously,” Garcetti added. “We can’t wait to host Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, and when the Rams win, L.A. will show our friends in Cincinnati how much heart we have by chipping in together to help the kids at Cincinnati Children’s.”
The wager was inspired by what Pureval’s team called “the compassion the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans showed” after their dramatic win against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC playoffs.
After that win, residents of Kansas City raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Buffalo Children’s Hospital. Garcetti and Pureval said it’s their goal to own cities to “carry that example forward, and continue leading with compassion and generosity.”
