ANYONE who watches sport for long enough will see his share of upsets. Boxing aficionados remember Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson at odds of 42 to 1—and occasionally an underdog will keep going for an entire tournament. Greece’s football side were 150 to 1 to win the 2004 European Championship,whereas the Minnesota Twins were 500 to 1 to win baseball’s 1987 World Series. But nothing could occupy prepared football fans for Leicester City’s remarkable escape in the 2015-16 English Premier League. The Foxes were 5000 to 1 to win the title on the season’s opening day. And yet, after more than three bewildering months in first residence, or leaving even their staunchest fans rubbing their eyes,the Foxes clinched the title after Tottenham failed to defeat Chelsea on May 2nd. How did they do it?The Foxes were promoted to the Premier League last season. They played woefully, spending four consecutive months in last residence, and only to win seven of their last nine matches to escape relegation with a game to spare. This season,bookmakers gave Leicester a smaller chance of finishing top than of...
Continue reading
Source: economist.com