The South Florida Bulls delivered a massive upset on Saturday, toppling the heavily favoured Florida Gators with a last-second field goal. But while the win itself was headline-worthy, it was what happened after the game that truly captured fans’ hearts — and imagination.
Following his 20-yard game-winning kick, Bulls placekicker Nico Gramatica ran to celebrate with teammates and coaches. But one moment stood out above all: his emotional embrace with Chase Leon, the team’s punter and his holder on field goals.
A now-viral clip from ESPN shows Gramatica (No. 7) cupping Leon’s (No. 37) face as they shared a close, joyful moment — cheek to cheek, beaming with affection and adrenaline. The caption of one popular post on X read:
“Just a couple of dudes beating Florida. Beautiful. Keep your kickers close.”
The post has since amassed over 85,000 likes and more than 3.2 million views, and the full game highlight reel confirms the intimate moment (watch from the 22:04 mark).
Fans (and thirst) in the comments
Responses to the viral embrace flooded in — many playful, cheeky, and filled with admiration for the duo’s post-win energy.
Some highlights include:
- “Beating Florida is a powerful aphrodisiac.”
- “Find someone who loves you like 37 loves 7.”
- “Josh Hutcherson and Lukas Gage get your agents on the phone — I have the perfect romcom based on a true story for you two.”
- “This is so beautiful. I’ve seen gay porn less passionate than this.”
- “I might start watching football now.”
Others referenced iconic moments and queer cultural touchpoints, including Tom of Finland, Brokeback Mountain, Alexander the Great, and the Times Square kiss at the end of WWII.
Even Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was brought into the mix — when asked about the pair, it misidentified them and clarified:
“They are teammates, and there’s no public info indicating they’re in a romantic relationship — it’s likely just a victory hug.”
(Fun fact: Nico Gramatica is the son of former NFL kicker Martin Gramatica.)
Testosterone, sports, and the bromance factor
Science has shown that testosterone levels rise after a win — not just in the athletes themselves, but also in fans. According to research from the University of Utah:
“Watching your favourite sports team compete stimulates testosterone surges similar to those experienced by the players themselves.”
So that heart-racing, full-contact joy? It’s more than just a bro moment. It’s biology.
At the end of the day, whether it was romance, bromance, or just pure victory-fuelled emotion, the internet agrees: it was beautiful.
