One woman brought the big guns to a recent Philadelphia arena football game, but there was no reason to call the police.
"It started with a fun in-arena event and then started to blow up," said Soul Chief Operating Officer, John Adams.
Philadelphia Soul games feature a "Flex Cam" during a break in the action, calling out spectators to flex for the camera shown on the jumbotron. One woman attending the April 12 game gave fans a big surprise when the "Flex Cam" panned towards her.
The video, posted to the Soul's YouTube channel, begins like most others, showing fans flexing for the camera. The camera focuses on a man with two women sitting behind him who appear to be discussing something as he shows off his muscles.
A little later, the camera comes back to the man who is promptly shown up by one of those women who flexes her own muscles, much to the delight of the crowd.
"You've been stoned, my brother!" the announcer said.
Turns out, the flex cam was staged. The man in the video is Micah Macbeth, a strength and conditioning coach at Crossfit 215 in East Falls. The woman showing off her muscles is Macbeth's fiancee Anne Marie Aponte, who has been a member at the Crossfit for the past two years.
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In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
Macbeth told NBC10 a friend of his who works for the Soul came up with the idea and he and Aponte happily participated, even asking the women sitting near them to join in.
"What's ironic is the woman sitting next to us just happened to be a trainer," Macbeth said.
Macbeth says they drew applause from the crowd during the game. But the bigger reaction came when the video was posted to the Soul's Facebook page.
The clip was shared more than 6,000 times and had about 600,000 views from the Facebook page. The Soul's YouTube version of the video has been viewed nearly 5 million times.
The couple told NBC10 they've been fascinated by the reactions the video has gotten, both good and bad.
"I'm fascinated by the dialogue created by the video," Aponte said. "Some men want to marry me while others wonder about my gender."
Aponte also says she's encouraged by the feedback the video has gotten from other women.
"I've noticed that many find it empowering," she said. "That's been unexpectedly cool for me."
Macbeth says most of the negative comments he's seen are from people who don't realize the entire thing is staged. Despite this, he's taken those comments in stride.
"I've learned a lot over the years that for every good comment there will be a bad one," he said.
Macbeth was also amused by his own friends who praised him for his acting in the clip, in particular his reaction to Aponte flexing her muscles. According to Macbeth, he's not that great of an actor.
"That wasn't an act," he said. "I've never seen her flex before and when I saw her do it I was very impressed."
Ultimately the couple hopes the viral video can help inspire other people to feel confident about their own bodies.
"My body is a reflection of the decisions I've made and the goals I've set," Aponte said. "But everyone has their own goal that they're working for."
