Tackling Censorship: “S.F. and Kansas City Libraries Will Be Making Book on Super Bowl LVIII”

The rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs due to play out on the field at this weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup has given rise to a wager between the two cities’ respective public library systems.

With the exhortation “Let’s Tackle Censorship Together,” the two institutions are banding together to raise public awareness about the rising threat to freedom to read. In 2022 alone, there were 1,269 attempts to ban books, the highest tally in more than 20 years, according to the American Library Association.

The terms of the bet: The library from the city whose team loses on Sunday, Feb. 11, will have a representative read a banned book on camera while dressed in the colors of the winning team (though both boast red and gold).