In the 2018 Super Bowl season, the disappointing performance of the Los Angeles Rams caused viewership ratings to plummet.
The rating was 44.9, with 98 million viewers, both numbers hitting the lowest in a decade.
Multiple professional media outlets expressed that the overwhelming expectations before the game plummeted after a lackluster first quarter, leading to audience loss, with the rest of the game failing to regain traction; the viewership in Los Angeles, which had high hopes pinned on it, fell far below expectations due to the team's abysmal and scattered performance, completely lacking the explosive viewership power expected from a Super Bowl city.
Ultimately, the Los Angeles Rams were the original sin.
Statistics showed that New York, Buffalo, New Orleans, and Indianapolis led in viewership ratings across North America—thanks to the New England Patriots generating animosity, which garnered widespread support for the Kansas City Chiefs.
