"Is Baby Gronk the new Drip King, or is he being rizzed up by Livvy?" is a phrase that took the internet by storm in early June. Baby Gronk is a 10-year-old social media star whose football exploits are doing big numbers for him and his family. Earlier this year, he visited LSU, where he linked up with Tigers gymnast and social media influencer Olivia Dunne. This led a lacrosse player at UMass-Lowell to ask whether Baby Gronk was the new Drip King (a title held by a lacrosse player at UMass) or whether Dunne had merely rizzed up Baby Gronk to secure his commitment to LSU.
Baby Gronk, or more accurately, his father/manager, took the viral attention in stride. Baby Gronk declared himself the new Drip King and even challenged fellow social media phenom Baby Diggs to a 1-on-1 battle. The entire situation is very bizarre and has undertones of the Todd Marinovich debacle from the late 80s. However, a new figure has emerged to add more fuel to the fire.
Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL in 2022, finishing his career as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Playing his entire career alongside Tom Brady in both New England and Tampa, Gronk is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, he has now entered the story with a cease and desist for the social media star.
Rob Gronkowski Seeks To Shut Down Baby Gronk Dad
The whole thing would have likely flown under the radar if not for Baby Gronk's father. Appearing on Barstool Sports' Tight End University, Gronk vented about the annoyance that was Jake San Miguel, aka Baby Gronk Dad. “Four weeks ago, my brother told me, ‘Yo, have you seen Baby Gronk?’ ‘Did I see him? ‘ I go. ‘His dad hit me up 500 times already.’ He goes, ‘Don’t do anything.’ The dad is so annoying. And this was like five, six weeks ago. And then all of a sudden, two weeks later, it’s coming out everywhere. My brother died laughing," Gronk said.
This has led Gronk to consider issuing a cease and desist to Miguel. This order would likely seek to prevent Miguel from marketing his son as "Baby Gronk" going forward. “We’re gonna cease and desist Baby Gronk’s dad,” the ex-pro said on the Barstool show. Well, the meme was fun while it lasted. However, maybe it is for the best that the Baby Gronk business is curtailed.
As mentioned, the whole situation reminded a lot of people of Todd Marinovich, a player who went the 80s version of viral for being essentially bred for football by his dad. Similarly, Chris Long, the long-time Rams defensive end, expressed concern for the social media phenom on his podcast. “I have no problem with profiting off the internet, this is what we’re all doing,” Long said on his podcast Green Light. “But the difference is we’re not using a 10-year-old kid to do it. You gotta be concerned about the toll this is gonna take on Baby Gronk when he’s older.” Long has been very open about the pressure he faced growing up from his own father, Hall of Famer Howard Long.
Olivia Dunne Steals Headlines At MCWS
But what are the other figures of the viral story up to? Well, Olivia Dunne continues to grab headlines wherever she goes. Most recently, that was Omaha, Nebraska for the Men's College World Series. Amid the nearly 70,000 Jello shots consumed by LSU fans during the event, Dunne was out and about at final NCAA championship of the season.
Dunne attended several games during the event, including LSU wins against Wake Forest and Florida. Every time Dunne posted up at Charles Schwab Field, large swathes of the crowd would gravitate toward her. One has to imagine that the charm quickly wore off after the number of people "shooting their shot" hit double digits.
After LSU took home their seventh MCWS title, it was off to Tennessee for Dunne. She posted up at the Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR CUP Series Ally 400 race. Furthermore, her VIP pass earned her a tour of Chase Eliot's pit and car. Eliot, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, currently sits in 25th in the NASCAR standings.