Sports

The Biggest Upset In Sports History Is Closer Than Ever

Leicester City, in the basement of the English Premier League just last year, is closing in on the most unlikely win in sports history.

The Biggest Upset In Sports History Is Closer Than Ever
Getty Images / Michael Regan
SMS

The biggest upset in sports history is closer than ever.

Leicester City drew Manchester United on the road Sunday, adding a point to their commanding lead in the English Premier League standings.

The Foxes have two matches left over the final two weeks of the season. To win the title, they just need to win either one of those matches or draw both of them. And that's assuming their nearest rival stays perfect from here on out.

A title win would cap off a shocking run. Last season, the Foxes spent time in last place in the Premier League and were expected by many to be relegated to the second tier.

To try to get a handle on how big this upset would be, let's take a look at some other English bets that had the same odds as Leicester winning the title at the start of this year.

They include: Elvis being found alive, finding proof the Loch Ness monster is real and Kim Kardashian being elected president in 2020.

"It'll blow my mind away, absolutely," one Leicester supporter told ESPN. "I'd probably be in tears, quite honest with you."

The odds get even longer when you consider how much payroll factors in when you're talking world soccer. The best clubs in the world are usually the most expensive ones. 

Leicester is one of the poorest clubs in the Premier League. For perspective, the next four teams behind them in the race for the title have an average payroll nearly four times greater than Leicester's.

In terms of other sports upsets, Leicester's is still hard to size up. Even the Miracle on Ice, when the U.S. Olympic hockey team shocked the Soviet Union in 1980, had 1,000-to-1 odds of an American triumph, far better than Leicester's.

By the time the Foxes take the field again, though, they could already be champions. Second-place Tottenham plays Chelsea on Monday, and if the Spurs fail to win, the entire city of Leicester will probably be going crazy.

This video includes clips from ESPNChevrolet and Walt Disney Pictures and images from Getty Images.