The people of New Orleans have spoken. They really did boycott the Super Bowl.

After the Saints were deprived a spot in the NFL’s championship game thanks to one of the worst missed pass interference calls ever, scores of fans declared their intention to not watch the playing of Super Bowl LIII, and, judging by the ratings, they meant it.

The game earned a 26.1 overnight rating in the city of New Orleans, the lowest of any television market in the United States and the lowest ever in the city in Super Bowl history.

Now, that’s commitment from a fan base whose anger and disappointment with the NFL was palpable after watching their team get bounced from the playoffs in controversial fashion and then watch as the NFL brass failed to even address the scandal for nearly two weeks afterwards.

Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was illegally struck in the helmet by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman on a third down play late in regulation in the NFC Championship Game, but the pair of officials watching the play failed to throw their flags.

Had the penalty been called, the Saints would have been able to run down the clock, kick the go ahead field goal, leave the Rams without enough time to mount a drive in the other direction, and represent the NFC in the Super Bowl game against New England.

Instead, it was the Rams who went to the big game, leaving the Saints and their fans in New Orleans to instead throw one of the biggest parties the city has seen in recent memory, a series of boycotts and concerts around town which some argued were more festive than the Super Bowl itself.

For comparison’s sake, last year the Super Bowl earned a 55 rating in New Orleans, as fans gathered to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots for their first world championship since 1960. But in 2019, they could not be bothered to watch a Super Bowl they believe was tainted by the league’s incompetence.

Overall, Super Bowl LIII drew lower ratings than usual, a fact that analysts attribute to the boring nature of the game, which New England won, 13-3.

CBS drew a 44.9 overnight rating for the game, which was lowest scoring Super Bowl in a decade, according to industry figures. That number is officially the lowest for a Super Bowl game since Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals drew a 42.1 number in 2009.

The Boston market earned a 57.4 number for this Super Bowl, the best for game in three years, and the Los Angeles market a 44.6, the best for a Super Bowl in L.A. since 1996.

In general, the nation agreed with New Orleans: the Super Bowl was not really worth watching.