Why Did Leicester City Win the Premier League?
I still haven't fully processed what happened on Monday.
I'm not dreaming. I've not gone insane. I'm not on any medication, but, yet, Leicester City Football Club have won the Premier League. It's an incredible thing to witness, it's an incredible thing to even type: "Leicester City, Premier League champions."
It's supremely awkward, but I can't stop smiling.
Every time an implausible sporting event happens, there's always someone proclaiming: "You'll never see anything like this again." My entire life, I've always thought that was nonsense.
When Donovan Bailey ran a then-world-record time of 9.84 in the 100 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics, I remember hearing: "You'll never see anything like this again." I didn't know Usain Bolt existed in 1996, but I remember sarcastically thinking, as a young kid: "Really?"
Too often we get caught in the moment, losing all sense of clarity and objectivity.
That said, would I be wrong for having second thoughts after Leicester City won the Premier League? It's almost like everything I know about football—and sports in general—has been knocked from a shelf, waiting for me to rearrange it.
Half of me thinks: "Surely, another club will come from the depths of relegation, overcome 5,000-1 odds (should those even exist anymore) and win England's top domestic league." The other half says: "Daniel, get real; it's never happening again! There are too many variables, too many things that must transpire for these kinds of inexplicable stories to happen."
Somewhere down the line, another Leicester City will arrive; but will I be alive for them? Probably not.
We must, therefore, appreciate this extraordinary season for what it was—acknowledging the breathtaking work Leicester City completed on behalf of themselves, their manager Claudio Ranieri, their club, their supporters and the global footballing community at large.
To fully comprehend Leicester City's accomplishment, understanding should come from their would-be title rivals.
Why did the Foxes win the Premier League?
Commitment, perseverance, determination, solidarity and maturity. Those attributes—combined with Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Danny Drinkwater, Marc Albrighton and others having the seasons of their respective careers—are the primary reasons why their captain Morgan will lift the Premier League trophy.
Should we, though, neglect secondary reasons to further deify Leicester?
Would that be fair to history?
Would that be fair to them?
Would that be fair to us?
I don't think so.
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