This always has seemed semi-tacky.

Team A gets to the championship series/game, and politicians who share a city or a state with that team … announce a “bet” with their opposite number from Team B on the outcome of the event.

Always backing the home team, of course, usually boasting about them — but often hedging their bets by risking local products like barbecue sauce or craft beers or bagels or T-shirts from some local attraction.

For the World Series this year, the governors of Illinois (home of the Chicago Cubs) and Ohio (home of the Cleveland Indians) have stayed low key, with each promising to send along beer and pizza if the other guy’s team wins.

But some of the bets are more colorful — or meant to attract more attention.

Last year, when the New York Mets were in the World Series, against the Kansas City Royals, the politicians got creative — or their public relations people did.

The New York Times did a story about the various wagers that went back and forth from New York to Kansas City.

The most colorful was the multi-prong wager arranged between the governors of New York and Kansas.

As reported by The Times, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and his Kansas counterpart, Jay Nixon, vowed to wear the other team’s jersey for a full day if the home team lost.

Wait. There was more.

Wrote The Times: “If the Mets win, Nixon promises to send his New York counterpart various Missouri items of immeasurable worth: a commemorative jersey from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a bag of ’20th anniversary platinum edition blend coffee’ from the Roasterie coffee shop, a Ford F-150 baseball cap and, of course, some Kansas City ribs.

“If the Royals win, Cuomo will part with the following Empire State treasures: a cap from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, some bagels from Jrs Bagel factory in Queens, Gianelli’s hot Italian sausage from Central New York and various ‘craft’ beverages.”

Aside from some brief awkwardness of perhaps wearing a jersey from a distant baseball team, there is no down side to these bets.

The politicians get to feign interest and enthusiasm for their home team, which may not be genuine, and perhaps pick up a few gullible voters. And if they lose, they are drumming up publicity for local businesses or institutions by sending BBQ sauce or bagels or some other ultra-local product to the other pol.

And, really, do you recall seeing the losing politician live up to the terms of the bet? Are there pictures out there of Andrew Cuomo wearing a Kansas City Royals jersey after the American League team won in six games a year ago?

At least one bet was paid off.

Jimmy Kimmel, of TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was pelted for one minute with paintballs by actor and Royals fan Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”). Stonestreet was aided by at least three members of the Royals championship team — Mike Moustakas, Jeremy Guthrie and Drew Butera. Which can be seen here.

Anyway, talk-show hosts apparently live up to their bets. Can’t be sure that mayors and senators and governors do.