Leicester City among greatest underdogs with 1987 Twins, Miracle on Ice team

The odds that Elvis will be found alive might be improving after Leicester City secured the Premier League championship Monday.

Leicester City was given 5000-to-1 odds by William Hill, a bookmaker based in England, to win the top English professional soccer league usually dominated by world-renowned clubs Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

William Hill offers the same odds that Elvis will be found alive, the Yeti or Loch Ness Monster is proven to exist, Kim Kardashian becomes the U.S. president in 2020, or Barack Obama plays cricket for England after leaving office.

All these bets sound a bit more intriguing after Leicester City defied the overwhelming odds to win its first Premier League title since the club was founded 132 years ago in 1884. A year ago, the Foxes struggled in their first year playing in the top tier league and nearly fell back into the second tier.

Leicester City pays its starting 11 about $24 million, while the wealthiest teams in the Premier League often spend that one a single player. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook gave the Foxes 2500-to-1 odds to win the league.

For perspective, the Miracle on Ice was more likely to happen. The U.S. team built of 12 Minnesotans and coached by Herb Brooks had 1,000-to-1 odds of beating the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics, but won 4-3.

American Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner defied 2,000-to-1 odds to win gold over three-time Russian Olympic champion Alexander Karelin in the 2000 Olympics.

The 1987 Twins had 500-to-1 odds to win the World Series after failing to finish above .500 since 1979 or reached the playoffs since 1970. In 1991, the Twins had 300-to-1 odds to win the World Series after finishing in last place in the American League West the previous season.

The 2013 Auburn football team nearly beat 1000-to-1 odds to win the BCS national championship, but feel short in the final seconds against Florida State.

The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals defied 999-to-1 odds to win the World Series and turn one $500 bet into a $375,000 payout.

These are among the few underdogs with 100-to-1 or worse odds to win (or nearly win) a major sport championship.

The Cleveland Browns have the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl next season at 200-to-1. The Vikings have 18-to-1 odds. The Atlanta Braves are 500-to-1 odds to win the World Series, with the Twins at 80-to-1 odds.