A quirk in the NFL, NHL and NBA schedule resulted in three matchups between Arizona and Minnesota teams over a four-day span: Cardinals vs. Vikings on Thursday, Coyotes vs. Wild on Friday and Suns vs. Timberwolves on Sunday.
As such, Arizona governor Doug Ducey challenged Minnesota governor Mark Dayton to a bet just hours before the Cards and Vikes kicked off Thursday night.
.@govmarkdayton - Friendly wager? Loser of 2/3 games wears a jersey from the other governor's state. @AZCardinals @ArizonaCoyotes @Suns
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) December 10, 2015
It didn't take long for the Democrat to accept the challenge from his Republican counterpart.
Challenge accepted, @dougducey! Cheering on the @Vikings @Timberwolves and @mnwild this weekend! #MNvsAZ
— Governor Mark Dayton (@GovMarkDayton) December 10, 2015
Ducey quickly earned the upper hand on Dayton when the Cardinals edged out the Vikings 23-20 in Glendale on Thursday. Ducey's victory was secured the following day when the Coyotes rallied to beat the Wild 2-1 in overtime.
Looking forward to going three for three tonight. No pressure, @suns! @govmarkdayton, I have a jersey coming your way!
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) December 12, 2015
And just for good measure, the Suns defeated the T-Wolves 108-101 on Sunday.
Final score: Arizona 3, Minnesota 0.
To be fair, Ducey's teams had home-field/ice/court advantage in all three matchups against the Minnesota squads.
Nonetheless, a bet is a bet -- and now, and on Monday, we learned a Coyotes jersey is en route to the Minnesota state capitol.
Looks awesome! https://t.co/1wjEQf4IAq
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) December 14, 2015
We have your jersey ready to go, @GovMarkDayton! ? pic.twitter.com/jOoc606OmJ
— Yotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) December 14, 2015