As much as camaraderie is a special part of sports, trash talking between rivals also makes the gameday experience even more fun and interesting for fans. In January, one proud Packer Backer and an Atlanta transplant took a friendly wager made in a Riverwest bar to the next level.
The week before the Green Bay Packers were to face the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game, Joe Peterson—a Packer fan who plays in Rio Turbo and Platinum Boys—and 88Nine on-air personality and longtime Falcons fan Tarik Moody were talking about the game and the confidence they had in their preferred franchise. As the interaction escalated, they struck up a bet: the fan of the losing team would have to get a tattoo of the winning team’s logo.
“Tarik and I were at High Dive just kind of shit talking each other,” Peterson says. “I really don’t know who brought it up initially, but I remember we made the bet with very little hesitation.”
The loser got to pick the size and location of the tattoo. Still, having another team’s logo permanently etched into the losing party’s skin was a cause for concern for Moody (who has just one tattoo), as well as the heavily-inked Peterson. One of Peterson’s friends agreed to cover the cost of the loser’s tattoo and the bet was on.
Of course, most fans know how the game ended up. The Packers trailed 24-0 at halftime and eventually lost 44-21. Moody says he felt guilty about how quickly the fate of Peterson’s flesh was decided.
“I messaged him and said, ‘I feel bad,'” Moody says. “‘I didn’t think Atlanta would blow you out like that. I’ll get a Green Bay Packer tattoo if you want.'”
Peterson let Moody off the hook, but followed through on his end of the bet. He says he added “Gucci” above it “as a shout out to Gucci Mane,” with a Packers G subbed in. He says he doesn’t regret making the bet.
“I was honestly more bummed about them losing that game than having to get the tattoo,” Peterson says. “I’m always itching for another Packers Super Bowl appearance.”
With Packers and Falcons set to meet again on Sunday night, Moody and Peterson decided to make another wager. This time around, the stakes are a lot lower. The winner gets a bottle of bourbon.
“I don’t bet cash. I like experience or things,” Moody says. “No matter which one of us wins, we’ll probably share the Bourbon.”