What is said to be the biggest underdog victory in sports history was finally complete on Monday, with Tottenham collapsing in the second half to draw Chelsea 2-2. The 5000-to-1 pre-season Leicester City managed to claim the championship of England in only 36 games.
All of the bloggers are rushing to get down their hot takes as soon as possible. I want to take a very quick view of this just to make sure everyone understands how big of an upset this was. I hate cross-sport comparisons, especially when it comes to gambling, but I am going to break my rule just this once.
The Arizona Coyotes had the longest odds to win the 2015-16 NHL season at at price of 150/1. While the NHL does have more teams than the Premier League, there is a lot more parity. When we see a weaker team defeat a stronger team in hockey, people typically do not lose their minds. When a team that is expected to be in the relegation table defeats a Champions and Europa League squad, people take notice. And when they do it consistently every week, magic happens.
You will notice that a lot of the big media who have all of a sudden decided to start covering sportsbetting are noting that this is the biggest single-event loss in sports history for bookmakers. Some English shops recording having to payout over 3-million in British Pounds. What nobody will tell you is how much of a handle they pulled on the bets on every other team. Nobody is going out of business over the result of the 2015-16 season, and any hyperbole comments made by bookmakers is purely for show.
Was it the biggest pre-season win in history? Absolutely. But if we account for all situations, the 2006 Cardinals have something to say about it.
