Wikipedia

Baby Gronk

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Madden San Miguel (born June 4, 2012), known by his nickname Baby Gronk, is an American youth football player and social media personality.

Baby Gronk
Born
Madden San Miguel

(2012-06-04) June 4, 2012 (age 12)
Frisco, Texas, U.S.
Known forAmerican football, social media virality
Height4 ft 5 in (135 cm) (2024)
YouTube information
Channel
Presented byMadden San Miguel
Jake San Miguel
Years active2021–present
Genre(s)Comedy, sports, YouTube Shorts
Subscribers322 thousand[1]
(June 6, 2024)
Total views184.2 million[1]
(June 6, 2024)
100,000 subscribers2023
Instagram information
Page
Years active2018–present
Followers541 thousand
(August 2, 2024)

Early life

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Miguel was born on November 4, 2012, in Frisco, Texas, United States.[2] His father, Jake Miguel, named him after the football coach and commentator, John Madden.[3]

Jake has stated that he planned out Miguel's life prior to his birth,[4] claiming to have had a blueprint for his son's life at ages 15–16.[5] In a TMZ interview in 2023, he stated that his goal was for his son to become a millionaire by his son’s senior year of high school "with or without football".[6]

Miguel became involved in football during pre-school[7] at age 5, after seeing football videos on YouTube.[8]

Nickname

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Miguel uses the nickname "Baby Gronk" in reference to football player Rob Gronkowski, an NFL tight end. The question regarding origin of the nickname has been answered with conflicting accounts; in 2021, Miguel stated that the nickname was coined by classmates during recess while they were chasing him,[9] while Jake alleged in the same year that it came from when he was visiting Miguel's school and saw that he had an adult chair instead of a children's chair.[8] Later, in 2022, Miguel stated the moniker was coined by his father after he dragged his opponents in a game to the end zone after a reception.[10]

Football

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Very little footage of him playing football has been published to the internet.[11] In 2021, Miguel was said to have committed to the University of Oregon,[12] although he has since claimed to have committed to and decommitted from many others.[13][14][15]

Social media

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Jake, a digital marketer,[16] promoted his son online, primarily Instagram. By August 2020, Miguel's account on Instagram had 100 thousand followers.[17] Miguel's internet fame garnered the attention of rapper Boosie Badazz, who signed him to his marketing and sports management group in May 2020.[7][16]

Collaboration with Livvy Dunne

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Baby Gronk rizzing Olivia Dunne
 
via YouTube
  [1] – LIVVY DUNNE KNOWS I GOT RIZZ (March 15, 2023)

On March 15, 2023, a video was posted to Miguel's social media pages where he met with Livvy Dunne, a social media influencer and member of the Louisiana State University (LSU) gymnastics team. In the video, Dunne pulls Miguel towards her for a hug. Journalist Lauren Mechling described Miguel as visibly awkward, if not flat-out uncomfortable, attributing it to his belief in cooties.[16]

On July 6, Jake posted to Miguel's Instagram, proclaiming that Miguel had committed to LSU. The post was deleted shortly after, with Jake taking to Twitter to state that the graphic designer who made the image used in the post had confused which team he was actually committing to. Subsequently, a new post was made, indicating that he was going to the University of Oklahoma.[15]

Controversy

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The collaboration with Dunne resulted in a public backlash over the sexualization of a child, with Miguel's father Jake receiving criticism for stage parenting and monetarily profiting off his son's internet content.[16]

In response to the pushback, Jake dismissed his critics as "haters". When questioned on the criticism he received following the incident, Jake attributed it to older generations being out of touch, stating "It's a new era, it's a new generation ... The people that are normally jealous of us is kinda older. They just don't get it. The times have changed – Elon Musk about to move us to Mars".[6] In spite of the rampant castigation by those in the sports world, Jake continued to contact many players and sports commentators, asking to collaborate, including social media influencer and former collegiate golfer Paige Spiranac.[18]

The controversy intensified after an April 14[19] episode of the Bring the Juice podcast featuring Miguel and his father was posted to YouTube. Social media commentators focused particularly on a segment of the episode in which Jake feeds his son answers to questions including whether he would take Dunne to prom.[20] Throughout the rest of the video Jake can be seen prompting his son to answer questions, sometimes giving him sexualized answers. After resurfacing via a tweet on June 13, the clip led to Jake garnering more backlash.[21] The podcast episode was later deleted.

On June 18, a post was made on Baby Gronk's Instagram, declaring that he had retired from football.[16] Writing for The Irish Times, Dave Hannigan ridiculed the move, remarking "A kid fooling around online or serious brand pivot by a father worried about how much the world is appalled at his child exploitation? Truth or scared? Doesn't matter. Still went viral".[22] In spite of the announcement, the controversy persisted. On June 28, while appearing at Tight End University, Rob Gronkowski revealed that Jake had contacted him 500 times in the month prior while on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan's podcast.[23] Gronkowski denounced the fad as annoying, and having "gone too far",[24] and when Lewan[25] later suggested that as the eponym behind Miguel's moniker, he was the only one capable of putting an end to the Baby Gronk promotion, Gronkowski proceeded to threaten a cease and desist order against Jake.[26]

In reaction to the situation, many highlighted the Baby Gronk fiasco as an exemplary instance of what Mechling described as the "sports dad", stating "Miguel Sr is the viral, outsize iteration of the parent on the sideline who screams at his kid, his kid's teammate, the kid on the other team, or even a fellow parent. He can't let his kid figure his own life out for himself". Baby Gronk was illustrated as the personification behind the increasing trend of American parents forcing their children to commit much of their youth to sports, largely as a way to combat record-low college admissions rates.[16] The dynamic between Miguel and his father was frequently compared to the plight of various other athletes who also faced immense pressure from their parents, most frequently the relationship between Tiger Woods and Earl Woods.[16][22][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About BABY GRONK". YouTube.
  2. ^ Misra, Ishan (June 11, 2023). "Who are Baby Gronk's parents Jake and Elizabeth Miguel?". FirstSportz. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Alexander, Ari (July 20, 2020). "7-year-old Texas football celebrity 'Baby Gronk' creates buzz". KPRC. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "The Legend of Baby Gronk". www.baynews9.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  5. ^ ""Baby Gronk": The 7-Year-Old Football Star". spectrumlocalnews.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Baby Gronk's Dad Claps Back At Haters, My Kid's Going To Be A Millionaire!". TMZ. June 10, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "7-year-old football celebrity 'Baby Gronk' tops 100k followers on Instagram; signs with Boosie sports management". wfaa.com. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Hunter and Mya sit down with viral-sensation 'Baby Gronk'". KTVE - myarklamiss.com. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Amaranthus, Bri (August 2, 2021). "Meet 'Baby Gronk': The 8-Year-Old Football Celebrity and Cowboys Friend". FanNation Dallas Cowboys News, Analysis and More. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Gaither, Steven J. (June 7, 2022). "Third Grader named Baby Gronk takes visit to Jackson State". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Druin, Donnie (June 9, 2023). "Cardinals Legend J.J. Watt Reacts to Baby Gronk". Sports Illustrated Arizona Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  12. ^ "8-year-old social media sensation, Baby Gronk, visits LSU camp and makes a mark in Louisiana". BRProud.com. June 20, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Corder, Steve (May 25, 2024). ""Baby Gronk" commits to Colorado". Colorado Buffaloes. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Farrell, Mike (June 6, 2024). "Mind of Mike: Stop it With Baby Gronk". Mike Farrell Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Seconds After 'Committing', LSU Fanboy Baby Gronk Apologizes to His 329,000 Admirers for a Public Embarrassment". EssentiallySports. July 8, 2023. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Mechling, Lauren (June 26, 2023). "Baby Gronk, internet stardom and the Sports Dad nightmare writ large". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Moose, Cory (August 23, 2020). "Meet "Baby Gronk" the 7-year-old celebrity". newswest9.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (June 12, 2023). "'Baby Gronk' story stirs reaction across sports world on social media". Fox News. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Baby Gronk | Bring The Juice Podcast | Hosted by Frank Dalena & Mykal Walker, archived from the original on July 1, 2023, retrieved July 1, 2023
  20. ^ a b Gaydos, Ryan (June 14, 2023). "Sports world pans latest 'Baby Gronk' interview: 'This makes me uncomfortable'". Fox News. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Joseph, Andrew (June 13, 2023). "Baby Gronk's dad was ripped for feeding answers to his son in an uncomfortable podcast interview". For The Win. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Always a price to be paid: Baby Gronk, the most famous 10-year-old kid in America". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (June 29, 2023). "Rob Gronkowski pans 'Baby Gronk,' reveals his dad contacted him '500 times'". Fox News. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  24. ^ Roscoe, Jules (June 29, 2023). "Gronk: Baby Gronk's Dad Has Gone 'Too Far,' Will Be Cease-and-Desisted". Vice. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Rob Gronkowski says 'Baby Gronk' is 'awkward. It's too far.'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Rob Gronkowski says that he's bothered by 'awkward' Baby Gronk situation". CBSSports.com. June 29, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
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