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.
This was how Twitter reacted
This is brutal. Feel terrible for the kid. What a disgrace from the dad and honestly the hosts as well. Brutal man. Brutal. https://t.co/h1wP8Vvisw
— Will Parkinson (@Willpa11) June 13, 2023
This makes me uncomfortable https://t.co/lWcBQxk5ux
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) June 13, 2023
Poor kid https://t.co/IQokcZqpCY
— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) June 13, 2023
This really makes me sad that I didn’t appreciate Lavar Ball more. https://t.co/uV8bwUv6F1
— Honest NFL (@TheHonestNFL) June 13, 2023
Baby Gronk gonna end up hating his dad man 😔😔😔. I hate everything about this for the child. https://t.co/1ySMlrzDv9
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) June 13, 2023
This was an extremely hard video to finish. Baby Gronk’s dad just sees him as his puppet to make money smh https://t.co/q6PrnnvCps
— Bordeaux (@bordeauxyoutube) June 13, 2023
We require a license to operate a car but not to be a parent.
Poor kid. https://t.co/OjTREVEuFF
— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) June 13, 2023
Making a 4th-grader say, "I'm going to get full-body massages from some baddies," should be a jailable offense. https://t.co/JCG2HPpOf7
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) June 13, 2023
This will definitely end well https://t.co/BjGiyeyPoJ
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 13, 2023
He needs to stop exploiting his son.
