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Baby Gronk
Madden San Miguel (born June 4, 2012), known by his nickname Baby Gronk, is an American youth football player and social media personality. Early lifeMiguel was born on June 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 reportedly became involved in football during pre-school[7] at age 5, after seeing football videos on YouTube.[8] NicknameMiguel 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] However, 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] FootballVery 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 mediaJake, 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
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] ControversyThe 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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