As the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks prepare to face off in the Super Bowl this Sunday, various politicians, organizations, and art institutions in the two cities have made friendly bets to show off their hometown pride. Here are some of the wagers that have been announced so far.
• If the Denver Broncos win, the Seattle Art Museum will lend a Native American mask that looks like a Seahawk (Forehead Mask – Nuxalk First Nation) to the Denver Art Museum. If the Seattle Seahawks win, the Denver Art Museum will lend Frederic Remington’s The Broncho Buster, a bronze cowboy riding a bucking horse, to the Seattle Art Museum. The loan will last three months, and the losing city will pay for all of the expenses.
• The Washington and Colorado chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) made a weed-themed song and dance bet and have called for the NFL to not penalize players for using marijuana, especially for medicinal purposes:
If the Denver Broncos win, WA NORML has agreed to dress in Bronco colors of blue and orange and sing Karaoke-style Colorado’s (second) official state song “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. If the Seattle Seahawks win, CO NORML will do the same, but in Seahawk blue and green and singing “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, a native son of Seattle.
A video of the performance must be posted on the respective state chapter’s web site, Facebook page and on YouTube for a minimum of one week.
• If the Seahawks win, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock will channel Seattle rapper Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” by wearing an outfit from the Lifelong AIDS Alliance thrift shop and auctioning off a Denver-themed item to support the organization. If the Broncos win, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will auction off a blown glass piece from Seattle for charity and wear Broncos pajamas on PJ Day to raise money for Denver’s Road Home, an initiative to combat homelessness. The two are also wagering food, such as salmon and Dungeness crab at the Seattle end, and green chile at the Denver end.
• The Washington and Colorado House delegations announced a long list of offerings that include Stranahan’s Whiskey & Tamales from Colorado representatives and Skittles from the Washington representatives. Seahawks Running Back Marshawn Lynch loves Skittles, and he has reportedly agreed to an endorsement deal with the candy company, which has created a green and blue “Seattle Mix.”
• In a wager between The Denver Metro Chamber and The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (temporarily renamed “Seahawks Chamber of Commerce”), the Denver organization is offering Rocky Mountain oysters and steak, while the Seattle organization is offering an interpretation of “pot and munchies,” which will look something like this:
• In a bet between tourism initiatives Visit Seattle and Visit Denver, the CEO of the organization in the losing city would have to wear the jersey of the winning team on the front page of USAE, a weekly publication about the tourism industry, according to Dave Blandford, Visit Seattle’s Vice President of Communications.
• The chambers of commerce of the Washington suburb Oak Harbor and the Denver suburb Parker are selling raffle tickets and donating the total proceeds to an area charity. If the Seahawks win, they will be donated to the North Whidbey Help House, a food bank, and if the Broncos win, they will be donated to a scholarship fund in Parker.