Super Bowl 2012: Mayors, Senators Place Wagers On Sunday's Game

Read More: New England Patriots, New York Giants

With Super Bowl XLVI just around the corner, it was inevitable that we would start to hear about various politicians making wagers. It is customary for all major sports championships in North America (and is even extending to playoffs now, in many cases) for the mayors of the respective teams' home towns to place "friendly wagers" on the outcome of the championship game or series, usually themed around each mayor's respective town.

Bill Hutchinson of The New York Daily News reports that the mayors of Boston and New York have announced what they will each put up for Sunday's Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The mayors have agreed to give a family of four from the winning team a "dream vacation" to the losing team's town. Hutchinson is of the opinion that the deal is lopsided in Boston's favor, as the vacation to New York would include dinner at the Russian Tea Room, tickets to the Knicks or Rangers, tickets to the 10,000th performance of "The Phantom of the Opera" and VIP tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Statue of Liberty. Considering that Boston would be ponying up for a package involving a duck tour should the Giants win, Hutchinson may have a point.

But the mayors are not the only ones getting into the act. Justin Sink and Alicia M. Cohn of The Hill reported that plenty of congresspersons are placing wagers on the game as well. In addition to a pair of senators placing wagers of local beer on the game -- because that's all we need, drunk senators -- Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) placed a wager with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wherein if the Patriots win, Giuliani will have to wear a Red Sox hat to Fenway Park. Let that determine your rooting allegiances, if necessary.

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