We’re entering a new era in youth sports where name, image and likeness present opportunities for athletes to capitalize on their talents well before they step foot on a college campus. We’ve already seen that with incoming Memphis freshman Mikey Williams having a Puma shoe deal in high school. And in turn, it opens the door for exploitive parents to cash in as well.
But nothing really compares to what Jake San Miguel is doing with his 10-year-old son, Madden, who goes by “Baby Gronk.” Despite Baby Gronk being four years away from high school — an age where it’s nearly impossible to project football talent — San Miguel has promoted his son as the next big thing in football. Baby Gronk was the recent focus of a viral TikTok meme with Livvy Dunne, and his dad continues to put Madden in front of a camera at any and every opportunity.
It’s getting tough to watch at this point, and you have to feel sorry for Madden who seemingly isn’t allowed to be a normal kid.
A clip went viral on Twitter on Tuesday showing Baby Gronk’s recent appearance with his dad on the Bring The Juice Podcast. The show’s hosts would ask Baby Gronk questions only to have San Miguel jump in, tell Baby Gronk what to say and have the hosts ask their questions again.
Here we have Baby Gronk’s dad feeding him answers on the Bring the Juice pod. Hey kid, blink twice if you’re tired of being dad’s clout bait pic.twitter.com/UltW1vCYTB
— Francis (@franciscellis) June 13, 2023
That went on repeatedly in the clip, and the answers got increasingly brutal to hear.
While San Miguel has been dismissive in the face of criticism about his son — including from J.J. Watt — this latest clip was gross and sad. Everything about it was bad, including the hosts’ willingness to go along with San Miguel’s inappropriate behavior.
As the video spread on social media, San Miguel was deservedly the focus of intense backlash.