It was all for fun, and a good cause. West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang, an Atlanta Falcons fan, and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, a longtime fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, decided to put a little wager on the game between the two teams on Sept. 22.

The mayors and their spouses flew to Atlanta to watch the battle, and both expressed optimism pregame.

“I am a Chiefs fan, all the way,” exclaimed Wilson. “When Mayor Lang and I realized we were both die-hard football fans, going to a game together, where both of our favorite teams were playing, just made sense. I love a good sporting rivalry! Go, Chiefs!”

Loyal to the Falcons, Lang looked forward to them having the home team advantage. 

“I am a Falcons fan through and through,” Lang declared. “We joke that Atlanta is my second city because, as a season ticket holder, I’m there a lot. This is going to be an exciting game, and I look forward to the win.” 

It proved to be a good game, with the Chiefs, two-time reigning Super Bowl champions, escaping with a 22-17 victory. It was the K.C. defense sealing the deal with two fourth down stops inside the 25-yard line in the final minutes to seal the deal.

Now that the mayors are back in Salt Lake County, the mayor of the losing team (Lang) has agreed to participate in a service project of Wilson’s choice. That project is yet to be named, but the winner of this friendly “battle” will be a project in the county.  λ