Stampeders' fan loses out on 24,576 beers thanks to Eskimos' streak-snapping win
Double-or-nothing bets can have some remarkable consequences, especially when there's a losing streak involved. That's what happened with the Edmonton Eskimos' 12 straight losses to the Calgary Stampeders, their provincial rivals, which Edmonton snapped with a victory in the 13th game Saturday. Stampeders' fan Tim McMullen and his brother-in-law Rich Sharpe, an Eskimos' fan, wagered a six-pack of beer on the June 15, 2012 Edmonton-Calgary preseason game, and they've gone double-or-nothing for all the games since, so Sharpe owed McMullen 24,576 beers heading into Saturday's game. From Chris O'Leary of The Edmonton Journal, here's how that played out:
When the McMullens were on their way up to Edmonton on Saturday, Tim sent Sharpe a text for laughs.
“I want to cash in. I want 24,576 beers and I want them cold,” Tim said. “He texts me back and says ‘You better get your Class 1 drivers’ license so you can drive a semi up here for the beer.’ He sends me a picture of a skid (pallet) of beer, which was stocked up. He said, ‘Right now, I owe you seven of these.’
“I’m thinking, ‘That’s a ton of beer. I’d be drinking three beers a day for the rest of my life. It’s never going to happen.’ ”
In the middle of the drive, almost 25,000 beers deep into the bet, Tim turned to his dad and said the unthinkable.
“I say, ‘You know what dad? I was born a Stamps fan, but I have a feeling Edmonton’s going to win today,’ ” Tim said. “He told me to get out of here and I said, ‘The bet comes to an end today. I guarantee you Edmonton wins.’ ”
A few wet hours later, the Eskimos 27-16 winners, Sharpe’s texts streaming in continued to break the silence of that long drive home.
“Honestly, I’m kind of sad that it’s over,” Tim said. “I could care less about the beers, but I mean everyone I work with knows about this bet. All of my friends know about this bet; my in-laws know about this bet.
“I’m sure it’s the same way on Richie’s side of things. It had become a legendary thing in that sense.”
Back on even ground, Sharpe is hoping for a new streak and Tim is eager about a new bet.
“This will go on forever,” Tim said. “As long as we’re running around this Earth, we’ll always have a six-pack going on (the game).”
That's a pretty great bet, and it should perhaps be used as an example of exponential growth in math textbooks. After all, six-packs are so much more interesting than wheat and chessboards. It seems unfortunate that this bet won't actually be cashed in, though, as 24,576 beers would set someone up for life pretty nicely. It would certainly prevent having to put a mouse in a beer bottle. So, the Stampeders didn't just lose a game, they lost McMullen a lifetime supply of beer. Now that's something to feel ashamed about...