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If you haven't heard by now, Who Dat Nation is the greatest fan base in the NFL. The most supportive and devoted at least.
Yesterday, the Sports Business Daily released the average regular season television rating for all NFL teams in their local market and New Orleans was on top with a 52.0 rating.
To put that in perspective, New Orleans was the only city to eclipse 50.0 in their market and they were almost 10.0 higher than the next NFL market.
None of this should be surprising, however, considering the New Orleans market was also tops among NFL cities in 2011 with a 51.1 average. We've got a history of being obsessed with our football team.
But I don't care about the numbers this year. What I find more telling about the solidarity of Who Dat Nation are last season's ratings. You remember the 2012 Saints season, don't you? When Roger Goodell took it upon himself to hand down unprecedented and ridiculous sanctions on the organization for their involvement in Bountygate?
Sure, there was a little bit of a dip in the ratings that season but even through all that bulls***, New Orleans still had the second highest regular season television rating in the NFL with a 45.5 average, behind only the Packers. Booyah!
Suspend our coach? F*** you, still love my Saints. Take away our draft picks? F*** you, still love my Saints. Start 0-4, finish 7-9, and miss the playoffs for the first time in 4 years? F*** you, still love my Saints.
During a season when many other fickle fan bases probably would have changed the channel and waited until next year, Saints fans still stood by their team.
I've never been more proud.
