Time Person of the Year 2019 Odds: Greta Thunburg Listed as Odds-On Favorite, Trump Set at 8-1
- Books list Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg as odds-on favorite to be Time Magazine’s 2019 Person of they Year
- US President Donald Trump has dropped to the co-fifth betting choice at +800
- Trump won the honor in 2016
Greta Thunberg is certain that saving the planet does not have time on its side.
However, the teenage Swedish climate activist may soon have the recognition of becoming Time Person of the Year on her side.
Oddsmakers have established Thunberg, 16, as the overwhelming chalk to be named winner of the presitigious honor in 2019. Books put the Swedish school girl as their odds-on favorite at -150.
2019 Time Person Of The Year Odds
| Person | Odds |
|---|---|
| Greta Thunberg | -150 |
| Jacinda Ardern | +500 |
| Kim Jong-un | +500 |
| Juan Guaido | +600 |
| Vladimir Putin | +800 |
| Donald Trump | +800 |
| Angela Merkel | +1000 |
| Pope Francis | +1000 |
| Elon Musk | +1200 |
| Xi Jinping | +1500 |
*Odds taken on 08/26/19.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is the co-second betting choice. Women have won outright or shared in three of the last four Time Person of the Year presentations.
Thunberg Launched Noble Movement
Thunberg began a worldwide movement across the world a little over a year ago when she began regular school strikes, choosing instead to spend those days outside the Swedish Parliament in protest, demanding immediate action to combat climate change.
Her efforts, spawned the by hashtag #FridaysForFuture, led to 1.4 million students in 112 countries joining her in protest last March 25th.
Currently, Thunberg, who refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions created by airplanes, is nearing completion of a zero carbon journey across the Atlantic Ocean aboard a racing yacht to attend a UN summit on zero emissions in New York.
Day 13. Rough seas south of Nova Scotia. But conditions closer to New York will be slower than predicted and weather update suggests Wednesday arrival – an updated ETA will come as we near the coast. pic.twitter.com/IY6L9InSnp
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 26, 2019
The crew left Plymouth, England on August 14th are expected to arrive at North Cove Marina in Manhattan sometime on Wednesday.
Three members of the Norwegian Parliament have nominated Thunberg for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
Time Fading For The Donald
In early summer, US President Donald Trump stood second behind Thunberg in the odds to receive recognition as Time Person of the Year. He was as low as +550 in some betting markets.
Trump currently is situated as the co-fifth betting choice at +800. At least he can take solace in the knowledge that he shares fifth spot with his good buddy, Russian President Vladimir Putin. And just ahead of him at +500 is another of Trump’s favorite pals, North Korean leader for life Kim Jong-un.
Since it was introduced in 1927, every sitting US President has been awarded the honor, save for Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford. Trump won in 2016.
He also insisted that he won in 2017 but was replaced when he declined to sit for a photo shoot. Time denied the allegation.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Time Person of the Year three times. Seven other Presidents won the recognition twice, including the last three to sit in the Oval Office prior to Trump.
Time Not Always On The Side Of Good
Time recognizes the person who’s most influenced the world for better or worse during the year.
Trump knows being named @TIME Person of the Year isn't necessarily a GOOD thing, right? pic.twitter.com/2fomqTugFc
— Cy_Guy_Covfefe19 (@Cy_Guy) June 21, 2019
Adolf Hitler (1937), Josef Stalin (1939, 1942), Ayatollah Khomeini (1979) and Putin (2007) were also Time Person of the Year, so winning it doesn’t necessarily mean what you did during the year was a good thing.
The inaugural winner in 1927 was Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic. Lindbergh would later be known for suggesting that Nazis were very fine people.
Thunberg’s the One
Recently, Time leaned toward people or groups who seek to make a difference. In 2014, it was the Ebola fighters. In 2017, the silence breakers who spawned the #MeToo movement were feted.
Even out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean I hear about the record amount of devastating fires in the Amazon. My thoughts are with those affected. Our war against nature must end.
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 22, 2019
Based on her international achievements, Thunberg certainly fits this mold.
That’s why she’ll win.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
