Former Cardinals player J.J. Watt publicly addressed the viral Baby Gronk story, and his wholesome take will resonate with most parents.
Ex-Arizona Cardinals pass-rusher J.J. Watt has since retired from the NFL, but he’s still using his platform to share his opinions on trending stories across the league.
Lately, a Tik Tok video describing Baby Gronk getting rizzed up by Lizzy has taken the media by storm. Gen Z-ers related to the entertaining content of the video and debated whether or not Baby Gronk was really the Rizz/ Drip King after getting rizzed up by an LSU gymnast. Here’s a refresher on the situation.
To capitalize on Baby Gronk’s sudden uptick in popularity, the boy’s father spoke to The Athletic to pitch his 10-year-old son as the “next big thing” in college football.
Baby Gronk’s father has apparently been hyping up his son for several years now, constantly posting football videos on Baby Gronk’s Youtube channel and trying to get him as much exposure as possible.
But remember, Baby Gronk is only 10 years old. Some people are criticizing the father for training his son at far too early of an age, and J.J. Watt agrees.
J.J. Watt doesn’t think Baby Gronk should be training like a pro
Watt’s take is easily digestible for the masses. At 10-years-old, Baby Gronk still has his adolescent years to decide what, if any, sport he wants to compete in.
Watt isn’t saying parents shouldn’t enroll their kids in advanced competitive leagues; rather, he just wants kids to be able to participate in multiple sports and enjoy those experiences without the anxieties of getting recruited or going pro. Try out for a soccer team, play basketball, step onto a tennis court, throw a frisbee — there’s no need for a kid who’s still in elementary school to have his athletic career set in stone.
In fact, that can be harmful for the kid’s future physical and mental development, and despite the father’s well-meaning intentions, it seems more like he’s living vicariously through Baby Gronk instead of letting his son pick his own path.
It’s an all-too-common trope found in sports movies where the father, usually a renowned athlete, sets too high expectations for his son, and the son ends up being too scared of disappointment and loses his sense of self and his meaning in life.
Don’t be like Baby Gronk’s dad. Just let kids be kids.