Blowout (sports)

A blowout is an easy or one-sided victory. It occurs when one athletic team or individual performer outscores another by a large margin or in such a fashion that allows the second team or individual little chance of a victory from a point early in a competition, game, contest or event, e.g. Team A defeats Team B 75-10. The term is often used in reference to athletic competition, but it is used in other contexts such as electoral politics (see also the synonym landslide).

During blowouts, sports play-by-play announcers are challenged to maintain viewing and listening audience interest and ratings. The announcers attempt to keep a stock of relevant informative discourse for such events.

Blowouts are common during the first few weeks of the NCAA college football season, when schools from Bowl Championship Series (formerly Division I-A) conferences, e.g., the Big Ten or Big 12, play those from the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA, e.g., the MAC or The American, usually winning by dozens of points.

A recent example of a large blowout is the Michigan Wolverines' 78-0 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on October 8, 2016.

During blowouts, some coaches and players are challenged by the ethics and sportsmanship of the event. Some believe it is not appropriate to give full effort when winning by a blowout margin, or "run up the score", and others believe that in athletic competition one is supposed to give full effort at all times. It can also be difficult for the losing team to keep their cool. Ejections and yelling/fights often happen when a team is being blown out because the losing team is frustrated and embarrassed. During the portion of the game that is played after the outcome has been decided, which is known as garbage time, most teams rest many of their better players and play reserves who do not regularly play in their place. This keeps the regular players from getting injured and gives them a chance to get some rest. It also give the reserves a chance to get some experience under game conditions. The fans often amuse themselves with chants about favorite players that they want to see play during scrub time or teams that they look forward to playing in future rounds of playoff competition.

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