‘The next [Nelson] Agholor guy?’ Eagles ‘meatball subs’ fan is turning his viral moment into funds for Philly PAWS
Dan Price, a 42-year-old South Philly native, is using his viral moment as a way to raise funds for Philly PAWS.
Dan Price is turning his viral moment into something positive.
The 42-year-old South Philly native was interviewed by CBS Philadelphia after Sunday’s Eagles loss. And in his interview, he gave Birds fans another iconic moment that will live on in Philly sports history right next to the time Larry Poff called Jeff Garcia “our baby,” and Tom Trampe’s “two years, varsity,” moment.
Price was walking out of Lincoln Financial Field and noticed several fans yelling into a camera. When he walked by, he realized it was his turn to say something.
“Nick [Sirianni] ain’t it,” Price said. “Nick is cute. He’s angry. He can scream. But he doesn’t make the team come out at halftime and make the team — What’s happening at halftime? Are we eating meatball subs?”
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Eventually, the latter part of the rant blew up on social media. The clip even was featured on a segment of New Heights and on NFL on FOX.
“The next day I woke up and I’m like, ‘Oh, I remember being on TV but I doubt anything happened with it,’” Price said. “Then the texts, the tags, and the calls from people that I haven’t spoken to in years came in as it went viral. … I’ve had people say to me or tweet at me like, ‘Oh, you’re the next [Nelson] Agholor guy, you’re going down as a Philly sports legend.’”
But Price isn’t focused on becoming a Philly legend. Instead, he wants to turn his viral moment into a way to help animals.
Just one day after going viral, the Eagles fan realized he needed to find a way to use the quote to help raise money for Philadelphia PAWS, a nonprofit dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless and at-risk pets and serving pet owners in need.
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“The two biggest loves in my life are animals and the Philadelphia Eagles,” Price said. “I can get some money to help some animals, take this embarrassing moment and, you know, turn it into something a little better.”
As a freelance creative director who does a lot of work on social media, Price realized he needed to act fast while the clip was still hot. He decided to sell shirts with his now famous line — “Are we eating meatball subs?” — displayed across the front. The shirts cost $25, with a portion of the funds going to Philadelphia PAWS.
“Only in Philly could a question about halftime meatball subs turn into a way to help save animals in need,” Cory Topel, the communications and grants manager at PAWS, said in a statement to The Inquirer. “We’re incredibly grateful that Dan thought of PAWS and is using this attention to support the animals in our care. It’s always special to see our community find creative ways to show up for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable pets and the people who love them, and this is certainly one we won’t forget. GO BIRDS!”
Price has always been a passionate Eagles fan, growing up and attending games with his Uncle Ira Feitelson, who is a season-ticket holder and can be seen in the background of Price’s viral clip. Price was also in attendance for Super Bowl LII, the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
“Thinking about it gives me chills,” Price said. “I remember being in the stadium for the NFC championship game when we were playing Minnesota and a friend of mine at the time, we talked about during the tailgate if they won, we were going to the Super Bowl. And then they were absolutely crushing Minnesota. And I actually bought the tickets during the NFC championship game.”
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Now, Price’s passion for the Birds will hopefully help support his love for animals, which dates back to his days in school. While attending The Creative Circus, a former advertising portfolio school in Atlanta, Price worked at a dog daycare and training facility while also volunteering at local shelters. And even in his free time, he fosters and looks after his friends’ animals.
“I always grew up with dogs,” Price said. “And there are just so many dogs and cats and other animals that need help, that are on the street. And these wonderful rescue organizations never have enough money. Anything I can give them, you know, even if it saves the life of one animal, that’s one animal that may not have made it. So that just makes me happy.”
Different year, different offensive coordinator, yet still, it feels like Déjà vu all over again. The Eagles had little margin for error Sunday vs. the Rams because of injuries. They played hard despite being shorthanded, but in the end, couldn’t put the Rams away, mainly because of poor execution on offense. Why hasn’t Sean Mannion's scheme clicked? How culpable are head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts in the offensive rut the Eagles find themselves in? The Inquirer's Jeff McLane and David Murphy analyze the fallout from the 24-20 loss to L.A. Listen here.
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