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.

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.

Horseracing

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.

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