Sal Feldman endured a 35-0 loss in his family's first game as Miami Dolphins season ticket holders.
"Hey, Sal, the game is over," his dad and brother told Feldman, a Miami native.
But Feldman wanted to stay until the end, and that began his mantra of refusing to leave a game early.
Now a Vanderbilt senior studying economics, Feldman went viral when he was shown on the broadcast of the Commodores' 52-17 loss to Ole Miss, sitting alone in the stands at FirstBank Stadium. Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC) plays Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) on Oct. 17 (6 p.m., ESPN2) between the two winless teams in conference play.
"Can somebody bring that guy, like, just a blanket, or maybe a salted pretzel? Just anything. He deserves something. That is faith right there. That is dedication."
- Joe Tessitore on the last remaining Vanderbilt fan in the building pic.twitter.com/dzOmWCrYUj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2026
"Can somebody bring that guy, just a blanket or maybe a salted pretzel? Just anything," broadcaster Joe Tessitore said.
"A stale salted pretzel," analyst Jesse Palmer suggested.
Feldman was made for this moment. His freshman year at Vanderbilt was the 2023-24 school year. The football team went 2-10 and the men's basketball team lost to Presbyterian. But Feldman still went to every game he could. He says that over his four years at the school, he has been to 27 football games, including all home games for which he has been in town, as well as some road games. As a senior, his goal is to attend all home and away games.
He won't leave early, no matter the score.
"I've never been the kind of person to leave a game early," Feldman told The Tennessean. "It's really just about faith and dedication and just sticking it out to the end because the players are there until the end and I want to give the players and the team my support to the end no matter what."
His Miami sports fandoms, which include the Dolphins and Marlins, have prepared him for occasional disappointments. But Feldman has also learned the value of sticking things out.
"I was unfortunately there when (men's basketball) lost to Presbyterian (in 2023)," Feldman said. " ... But at the same time I was also there when we rushed the court beating No. 6 ranked Tennessee, which was an absolutely amazing experience too. And of course, Alabama."
Feldman did not attend the Ole Miss game alone. He had gone with a group of friends in the student section, sitting in the front row as he always tries to do. Many of his friends opted to leave early, but some did still stick around.
That was when Feldman chose to move to an empty portion of the stadium from his original seats.
"We were losing by so much," Feldman said. "I just wanted to go up into the stands and just take a deep breath, just enjoy the environment, have some peace and quiet. ... Just enjoy the view."
Feldman said it's something he's done before. Sitting in the front row is fun, but it doesn't afford him an opportunity to just enjoy the surroundings.
But this time was different. Feldman's phone began to blow up with texts from family and friends telling him he was on TV. He looked towards the other side of the field, where TV cameras were mounted, pointed towards him with the red recording light on.
Feldman has enjoyed the reaction from his family and friends, who have joked that he is now a celebrity. But that wasn't the end of things, either.
After Tessitore's commentary, Feldman decided he would go ahead and get a soft pretzel. Even though he normally prefers popcorn at games, he attended the Vanderbilt volleyball game against Florida on Oct. 11 and ordered a pretzel.
"I'm more of a popcorn guy, but in honor of Joe, I had to make a sacrifice and I had to get that pretzel," Feldman said. "It wasn't stale."
His decision to get the pretzel paid off. He got to see the Commodores upset No. 5 Florida, their first top-five win in volleyball program history.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meet the Vanderbilt student that went viral when he endured Ole Miss loss alone at FirstBank Stadium
