Don’t Tell Me the Odds

Leicester-City-v-LiverpoolThere’s been a pretty incredible story happening in the English Premier League (soccer) this season. For context, I should note that in the EPL, there’s no tournament at the end of the season–whichever team is at the top of the standings when the season ends will win the league.

Leicester City was one of the worst teams in the league last year. But this year, with just 12 games left in the season, they’re outright winning the EPL.

According to an ESPN article, before the season started, oddsmakers gave Leicester City 5000-1 odds of winning the league. So if you bet, say, $10 on Leicester City at the beginning of the season, you now have a decent shot at winning $50,000.

My favorite part of the article were the comparisons to other situations that currently have 5000-1 odds. They include the following:

  • Elvis is found alive
  • Yeti or Loch Ness Monster are proven to exist
  • Barack Obama plays cricket for England after he leaves the Oval Office

05_07172355_3643b0_2677753aI’m just happy that these are things that people are betting on. The first two are outlandish hopes for pretty much everyone, but the last is just absurd. Who thought of that? Are there best for President Obama to play other sports or for other countries?

I also wish that quantum physics worked in such a way that if one 5000-1 event happened, it would cause the other events to instantaneously also come true. Can you imagine how much excitement that would generate on the last day of the EPL season, with Elvis fans cheering for every Leicester goal? And is there anyone out there who doesn’t want the Loch Ness Monster to be real?

3 thoughts on “Don’t Tell Me the Odds”

  1. Lol. I like that idea!
    But the “middle child” in me wants to play the devil’s advocate… If a “5000-1 odds” event triggered another “5000-1 odds” event then the second event would actually be a “1-1 odds” event…wouldn’t it? So then only certainties would trigger and chance would disappear?
    I may have just confused myself by thinking in circles 🙂

    Reply
  2. @Conor – I’m pretty sure that math checks out…

    @Jamey – I can’t believe that the Obama English Cricket player bet even exists.
    Or that the odds are only 5000-1…

    Reply

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