The biggest blowouts in sports
In some 20 minutes, Germany poured on the gas and blew away host nation Brazil in Tuesday's World Cup semifinal. It was a shocking, devastating performance that brought tears to the faces of Brazilians there to root on their team. It was all the more shocking due to the generally low-scoring nature of soccer games, which are usually hard-fought, low-scoring affairs.
- Germany crushes Brazil in World Cup semifinal 7-1
- World Cup: 7 stunning facts about Germany's rout of Brazil
- The agony of defeat! Brazil fans go from excitement to tears
- Does World Cup soccer need a mercy rule?
The 7-1 result on Tuesday is the heaviest defeat of a host nation in World Cup history. And coincidentally, the most recent blowout - until Tuesday - was also delivered by Germany in the 2002 World Cup, where Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0.
How does this historic game figure in the pantheon of sports beatdowns? Here's a look at other moments in sports where the victors turned mere victory into a classic vanquishing.
Super Bowl XXIV
On Jan. 28, 1990, the San Francisco 49ers whooped the Denver Broncos, 55-10. It's all the more painful for occurring in a Super Bowl, where theoretically the season's best two teams square off. Honorable mention: In 1940, the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the league's championship game
Michigan Football's entire season
It's a nontraditional addition to the most lopsided blowouts list -- the Michigan Wolverines entire 1901 football season. They outscored ALL their opponents 550-0. Impressive enough are wins of 128-0, 89-0 and no victory less than 21 points. Please note: The Wolverines didn't let their opponents score for the entire season. Zero. Nada. Every game. The entire season.
French Open 1988 blowout
Germany's Steffi Graf blitzed Belarusian Natalia Zvereva, 6-0, 6-0 in 1988 French Open final. This crushing defeat was part of Graf's "golden grand slam" that year - winning tennis's four grand slam tournaments and the gold medal in tennis at the Olympics.
NBA basketball
In 1991, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148-80.
Major League Baseball
In 1897, the Chicago Colts of the National League defeated Louisville, 36-7. That's one where Louisville might hoped for a mercy rule.
Secretariat won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths to win the Triple Crown. Talking about winning horseracing's highest honor in style.
What's your favorite blowout? Post below.