Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid aren’t the only ones with a lot on the line when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, Feb. 9, at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Directors of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art will each put a master work from their respective collections on the line. A shortlist of masterworks that could be up for loan will be revealed once curators huddle to consider the potential spoils of victory.
“Our friends in Philadelphia so enjoyed their last visit to the Nelson-Atkins two years ago that we expect to see them again this year, as we are confident our team will once again be victorious,” Julián Zugazagoitia, Nelson-Atkins director & CEO, said in a statement.
When the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in 2023, the Philadelphia Museum of Art loaned the 1875 painting "Sailing," by Thomas Eakins, which was on display at the Nelson-Atkins for two months.
For now, Zugazagoitia has his eye on other works of art in the competing collection, but has not announced what will be at stake.
“Philadelphia’s art museum has so many amazing works that would look beautiful in our galleries,” he said in the statement.
Officials at the Philadelphia Museum of Art were quick to respond to the Nelson-Atkins’ wager.
“We will offer a proper Philly welcome as the city celebrates our Eagles’ win on the Rocky Steps,” Sasha Suda, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, said in a statement. “There’s no doubt that we are eyeing up their world-class collection and thinking about what would look best on our walls.”
It's also become an annual tradition for Mayor Quentin Lucas to wager Kansas City barbecue with other Super Bowl mayors, and, as the Chiefs pile up the wins, more organizations around the metro are cashing in. Here’s a round up of the biggest bets, contests and collaborations leading up to the Super Bowl.
Kansas City Public Library
The Kansas City Public Library and the Free Library of Philadelphia have created their own friendly, literary competition in honor of the big game.
“We wanted to do a love competition, especially since it's February and it's also Valentine's Day month,” said Juli Lancaster, Kansas City Library digital content specialist.
So, they’re asking community members to share something they love about their local library in a “Library Love Competition.” The winner will be announced Friday.
“We wanted to kick off something to show some love for the library,” Lancaster said.
The last time the Eagles lost, President and Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia Kelly Richards hosted a special Chiefs-themed story time where he read “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
When the 49ers lost the Super Bowl in 2020, the San Francisco Zoo had to name one of their goats after Patrick Mahomes. The last time the Eagles lost, an iconic elephant statue at the Philadelphia Zoo, the first nation’s first zoo, had to wear a “Chiefs Kingdom” banner.
This year, the Kansas City Zoo is raising the stakes with a challenge rolled into a bet on Instagram.
"How about the winning team donates $50 PER POINT their team scores to a Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program of their choice?” the caption reads.
That’s $1,600 if the Chiefs match their season-high score of 32 against the Bills on Jan. 26, if the team accepts. The winning proceeds will be put towards conservation programs.
“It's pretty customary to have zoos rooting for their hometown,” Sean Putney, executive director and CEO of the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium said. “It makes it fun and a little bit more exciting for those of us on the zoo side of things.”
National World War I Museum and Memorial
Curators at the National WWI Museum and Memorial and the Museum of the American Revolution created a social media video of museum staff getting ready for the big game on Sunday.
“Epic battles in history? We know a thing or two about that,” the Instagram caption read.
The montage showed staff donning historic uniforms from each museums’ collection, showing off military artifacts, and packing up festive supplies for a retro tailgate party.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
As part of the Football Fans for Kids Health effort, Children’s Mercy Kansas City challenged the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Each hospital is aiming to raise $15,000 by Super Bowl Sunday. Proceeds will go to the I Love Children’s Mercy Fund.
Chiefs history buffs will remember the team’s 42-36 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 AFC Divisional playoff game, when fans celebrated by making $13 donations to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. That figure may seem odd to some, but it's just how many seconds the Chiefs needed to tie that game and force overtime.
After Buffalo defeated the Chiefs 24-20 in October 2022 at Arrowhead Stadium, Bills fans returned the favor, donating to Children’s Mercy Kansas City after winning a wager.
Great Plains SPCA
In other animal news, stray cats and dogs at the Great Plains SPCA will be purring and wagging their tails if the Chiefs win on Sunday.
The local animal adoption agency is collaborating with PAWS Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society in the Shelter Showdown, where shelters compete to see who can rally the most support from their communities.
So far, more than $105,000 has been donated to the Shelter Showdown to care for animals in need — more than $45,000 of it in Kansas City and more than $38,000 in Philadelphia.
Harvesters Community Food Network
A food bank that serves 27 regional counties is competing with Philadelphia’s local food bank in the Huddle to End Hunger challenge.
Harvesters Community Food Network and Philabundance are facing off to see who can raise the most money to fight hunger in honor of their hometown team.
"They do great work up there, and we’re excited to try to see which food bank can raise more money between now and the Super Bowl,” Matt Hamer, communications manager for Harvesters told FOX4 News.
As of Tuesday afternoon, both organizations were just over the $4,000 mark.
“Any chance we can get to have a platform to talk about these issues and offer some real solutions is great, so we’re really grateful for that,” Hamer said.
Joe’s Kansas City BBQ and others
Kansas City barbecue and Philly cheesesteaks are also in the balance, of course.
Joe's Kansas City BBQ has wagered with Pat's King of Steaks, the originator and inventor of the steak and cheesesteak sandwiches. According to a tweet announcing the wager, the loser of the bet “feeds some well deserving local fireman.”
There’s more than just amazing barbecue up for grabs, too.
KCTV5 News reports V’s Italiano Ristorante, serving customers in Independence for more than 60 years, reached out to Dante & Luigi's Corona di Ferro in Philadelphia after the Chiefs beat Buffalo. The two eateries are putting their osso buco on the line.
Chuck E. Cheese managers in Kansas City and Philadelphia have started a friendly wager based on the results of the game, too, according to WPHL News in Philadelphia. If the Eagles win, the company will temporarily rename its Kansas City locations to “Chuck ‘Eagles’ Cheese.” If the Chiefs win, Philadelphia locations will go by “Chuck E. ‘Chiefs.’”
