Summary
The world of sports has always been known to be full of many intriguing aspects, which come with excitement, surprise, and astonishment.
As a sports fan, you’re bound to feel all these emotions in a game, especially when it’s your favorite against another team.
The world of sports is known for delivering many twists and turns that, sometimes, shouldn’t be in the scope of probabilities.
Fortunately, this situation rarely happens across sports, as some are too far-fetched to be true. These unexpected events in sports see many sports betting companies in shock as they are usually backed with huge odds.
While sports fans might love every underdog tale spun across the years, the same can’t be said for sports betting companies.
In this article, we will look at some of the biggest upsets in sports betting.
USA vs. Soviet Union: The Miracle on Ice (1980)
This is one of the biggest upsets in the 80s, and it has managed to stay relevant in the world of hockey to this day.
In the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States men’s hockey national team faced off against a Soviet Union ice hockey team that had dominated the world for several years.
Compared to the USSR team, the US team seems filled with young and inexperienced players.
The United States team was widely considered to have lost the game before it started and was deemed the underdog. The team had the attendance reeling in different emotions as they staged a 4-3 win to claim the gold medal.
The bookies had to pay out those who had immense faith in this United States team. This event is still one of the most iconic in Ice Hockey history.
Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors (2019)
Toronto Raptors made history to win their first-ever NBA Championship title in 2019. The franchise became the first of the NBA teams based outside the United States to win the title, which saw several Kahnawake casinos online release amazing odds for Canadians who wish to see their team win.
This was the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA Finals appearance, and they had to face off against a Golden State Warriors team that finished the season with a (57-25 record).
Although the Warriors were a win short of matching the Raptors’s record that season, the latter was still regarded as the game’s underdog. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Warriors in a 4-2 final game to clinch the NBA title.
The New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (Super Bowl XLII) (2008)
Records are meant to be broken, which the New York Giants did to the New England Patriots in 2008.
In the Super Bowl XLII game, the New England Patriots went into the game as a 12-point favorite after completing a perfect regular season, being the first team to do it since 1972 Miami Dolphins.
The Giants, on the other hand, were just coming from a 10-6 record for the season, and the team was looking to become the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl.
The Giants’ defense held out strong against their opponent’s attacks to claim a beautiful 17-14 victory against the heavily favored New England Patriots, who were denied of marking a historic season.
St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans (Super Bowl XXXIV) (1999)
In 1999, the St. Louis Rams had to make history to claim their first Super Bowl title since 1951. The Rams were the -250 favorite to win the 1999 Super Bowl, with the Tennessee Titans being deemed the favorite.
The expectations for the Rams to claim the title were way down the depth of the blue sea, and this was due to the franchise ending their previous season with a 4-12 record which landed them in the fifth position in the NFC West.
However, the St. Louis Rams returned strong the following season with a 13-3 record, the same for the Tennessee Titans. The final became one of the most remembered finals for its yard play. It is called The Greatest Show on Turf.
Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson (1990)
In 1990, Buster Douglas had to face off against the world’s undefeated and reigning heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson. Going into the ring as a 42-1 underdog, Buster Douglas went with his huge confidence, which grew as the match continued into the 10th round.
This pair-up was widely expected to have been light work for the Invincible Mike Tyson, with several analysts going as far as predicting the fight to be over and done within 90 seconds.
Douglas defied the odds as he knocked out his fellow American, Tyson, in the 10th round. The fight quickly became one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Leicester City Winning The 2015/16 Premier League Title
Leicester City only managed to survive relegation from the Premier League by a few margins in the previous season before their title-winning campaign. Leicester City winning the Premier League title in the 2015/16 season is a story that will be told for ages.
At the start of the campaign, Leicester City’s chances of winning the title were as high as 5000/1. And thanks to Claudio Ranieri, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante, the Foxes were able to secure the Premier League title with 10 points clear at the top of the table.
Conclusion
These historic upsets can be considered a reminder to all sports fans about the unpredictability that the world of sports has to offer, and anything can happen.
The underdogs can become a champion, and when this happens, sports betting companies have no other option than to submit to the outcomes and make their payouts to the ones who kept their faith.
