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Here are the biggest Super Bowl wagers between Kansas City and San Francisco

A woman in a red shirt and black vest stands behind a counter and greets a man in a blue suit, who is waving to people in the kitchen behind them.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
Mayor Quinton Lucas, shown in a photo from right before the 2023 Super Bowl, has bet Gates Bar-B-Q to the opposing team every time the Chiefs have been in the Super Bowl. He'll announce his wager against San Francisco on Friday morning.

With the Kansas City Chiefs set to play against the San Francisco 49ers, local officials and organizations are betting barbecue, tattoos and more on the game — even though sports betting is banned in Missouri and California.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas feels good about his hometown team's chances in the Super Bowl.

At Kansas City's Union Station on Friday morning, Lucas announced his wager with San Francisco mayor San Francisco Mayor London Breed. If the Kansas City Chiefs somehow don't take home another trophy, Lucas will give away his traditional bet: Gates Bar-B-Que.

"You get not only the meats, the sauces, the spices, in the off chance that we're not successful," Lucas said in a video.

Breed replied with her own message, surrounded by some 49ers royalty. "Let me tell you something: We coming for you, Kansas City."

For San Francisco's side of the wager, Breed bet the Golden Gate Bridge (or rather, a replica) and Dungeness crab from Fisherman's Wharf.

The last time San Francisco and Kansas City squared off, back in 2020, Lucas offeredto send Gates Bar-B-Q, Boulevard Beer, knickknacks from Made in Kansas City and T-shirts from Charlie Hustle if the Chiefs lost.

"It worked out aight for us," Lucas said Friday.

Barbecue is also on the line for Kansas City's U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, who challenged Santa Clara Rep. Ro Khanna to send See's Candy if the Chiefs win.

Of course, sports gambling in California and Missouri is illegal — and that's put a damper on some of the friendly betting between cities. (Although it didn't stop Kansas City last year from collecting on some impressive care packages and trades.)

Here is what else is being wagered.

Museum foes throw down virtual gauntlet

When the Chief's played the Philadelphia Eagles last year, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art wagered the loan of a painting with its Philly counterpart, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. When the Chiefs won, the Philadelphia Museum sent Thomas Eakins’ ''Sailing'' (1875) to the Nelson-Atkins to settle its debt.

This year, with the betting restrictions, the Nelson-Atkins and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) have come up with a playful solution. The museum with the losing team will post a video of their director wearing a hat or team jersey of the winning team next week, calling out a favorite object in the winning team’s collection.

And the losing city museum's restaurant will serve a traditional dish from the winning team’s city — barbecue from Kansas City or a San Francisco-style cioppino, a fish stew.

The restrictions haven't stopped a few other local organizations from challenging their sister organizations in the Bay Area.

Food bank challenge

Harvesters, The Community Food Network, is challenging San Francisco food banks to a competition ahead of the Super Bowl. The nonprofits will battle it out to see who can get the most donations before the game on Sunday. San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and Alameda County Community Food Bank accepted the challenge and are trying to drum up as much money as they can to beat Kansas City's food bank.

Harvesters is encouraging fans to visit huddletoendhunger.com and make a donation toward their goal.

A library bet to 'tackle censorship'

The Kansas City Public Library and San Francisco Public Library are no strangers to football trash talk, after the 2020 contest. But this year, they're teaming up for a friendly wager aimed at raising awareness ofbook banning efforts.

Which ever city loses the Super Bowl, that public library will film one of their employees in the winning city's gear and reading a banned book for social media.

"We are excited to come together with the San Francisco Public Library to highlight this critical issue, even if we hope they are on the losing side of our bet," said KCPL public affairs and community engagement director Carrie Coogan in a statement. "And with a coach whose last name shows the importance of Reid-ing, how could we lose?”

Bets from the executive suite

On LinkedIn, the business-focused social media platform, Jeff Jones, president and chief executive officer of H&R Block, challenged the San Francisco-based TurboTax — loser has to get a logo tattoo.

Gifting Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelets

In Olathe, students at Heatherstone Elementary School took a page from Taylor Swift's songbook and made friendship bracelets to send to an elementary school in Santa Clara, California.

Cole told the Johnson County Post that Taylor Swift, who has become a Chiefs fan in recent months while dating tight end Travis Kelce, inspired the idea.

“She represents kindness,” Cole told the Johnson County publication.

On Thursday, the students made one bracelet for themselves and another bracelet to send to a student in California.

Heatherstone Principal Toni Cole says the school plans to send more than 800 friendship bracelets to the Golden State ahead of Sunday’s contest.

KCUR gets in on the action vs. KQED

Every time Kansas City is in the Super Bowl (wow, it happens so much!), KCUR makes its own friendly wager against the public radio station in the opposing city.

In 2023, WHYY in Philadelphia sent us Philly cheesesteaks after the Chiefs beat the Eagles.

This year, KCUR made a bet with our friends at KQED in San Francisco — we'll send them Kansas City barbecue if the 49ers win, and they'll put sourdough on the line.

Other Super Bowl wagers and challenges

  • Local prosecutors: Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker will wear a Brock Purdy jersey if the 49ers win; San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins will be sporting a Mahomes jersey if they lose.
  • Public transit showdown: RideKC Bike is putting burnt ends on the line against the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (where the 49ers play), which is putting up some sourdough.

Julie Denesha is the arts reporter for KCUR. Contact her at julie@kcur.org.
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