The stakes aren't high, but Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy certainly have riding interests on No. 6 Duke's 9 p.m. Wednesday matchup with No. 3 North Carolina in Maryland.
The two leaders placed a bet on the game's outcome, but in an odd twist to the familiar betting tradition, the mayor of the losing city's school may get the better end of the deal—if they don't care much about embarrassment.
If the Tar Heels win, Bell will be treated to a night on Franklin Street and a dinner at Lantern Restaurant, and if Duke defends its home floor, Foy will be forced to make the trek to see a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tough life.
But it's not all Asian cuisine and pop rock for the loser. There is some incentive, after all, for the mayor to root for his home team, and it comes in the form of shame. The mayor of the losing city's university will be forced to wear the opponent's sweatshirt at the next city or town council meeting.
That will be a fun meeting to cover.
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