JJ Watt doesn't approve of the Baby Gronk approach to sports: 'They're kids'
JJ Watt does not approve of the “Baby Gronk approach” to sports in light of 10-year-old social media star Baby Gronk San Miguel.
The one they call Baby Gronk is dominant in his youth football leagues, trains all year round and went on numerous unofficial college visits. He’s just a fourth grader and what seems absurd on the surface is all part of a plan, according to his father Jake.
But Watt doesn’t like where this is headed, seeing a 10-year-old training like a professional athlete.
“I’ve always said… Kids should play multiple sports and kids should be allowed to be kids,” Watt wrote on Twitter. “I’m not against advanced leagues, better competition, etc. But no kid should be playing one sport all year & no kid should be training ‘like a pro’ until at least HS. They’re kids.”
Baby Gronk is so noteworthy in today’s social media and NIL landscape, he has an absurd NIL Valuation, per On3. His annual value is $114,000.
Among high school football players, he ranks No. 168 overall. Remember, Baby Gronk is 10 years old.
“Everything we do for content is on purpose,” Baby Gronk’s father Jake told The Athletic. “Everything is planned out. Just being a creator and being an influencer. The internet and real life and his training are kept separate. He is actually really advanced and very good at football, and he plays five sports. A lot of people don’t know this about him, but he is a better baseball player than football player. He’s a really humble kid. Straight-A student.
“The internet shows one thing, but he is the kid you want at your house. He’s that kid. Everything we’re doing, it looks like a show. It’s not reality.”
The elder San Miguel claims to know what he’s doing. Whether this plan will last through high school and even college for Baby Gronk, remains to be seen.
“I know how to balance the internet and real life,” Jake San Miguel said. “I don’t think my son is a God or better than all these other kids out there. His goal is to go to the NFL. But the NFL is rare. It’s hard to make. So my goal is to build him a platform and a following where he is making money now and it’s going into a savings account. Just keep stacking up, being a part of companies, this and that.
“By the time he’s a senior in high school, he’s a millionaire and above and he’s well taken care of. That way he can live a good life without struggle or worry. It’s the insurance behind sports. You don’t have to go pro anymore. Like Livvy Dunne, she’s set for life already because of the internet.”