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It’s been hard to spend more than a few minutes on the internet this week without stumbling across a reference to one of the biggest sports stories in recent memory.
That development has nothing to do with the NBA or Stanley Cup Finals or the merger that united the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
No, I am, of course, talking about the absolute bombshell that shocked the world to its core when we learned Livvy rizzed up Baby Gronk.
If you’re out of the loop, that five-word serving of seemingly incomprehensible word vomit came courtesy of a TikTok video concerning a meeting between serially viral LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne and Madden San Miguel, a 10-year-old football prospect who’s adopted the “Baby Gronk” moniker.
this video is making me feel schizophrenic pic.twitter.com/PA6sDXLkSb
— cock sportello (@BenShh1) June 6, 2023
That encounter actually transpired in March, as Madden has been able to generate a ton of hype online thanks to a well-orchestrated PR campaign that’s seen him make unofficial visits to college football programs around the country to try to boost his profile.
Madden has also crossed paths with plenty of notable names during a journey that’s been largely orchestrated by his father Jake San Miguel, a LaVar Ballesque figure who was hit with felony charges for allegedly stealing steroids during his time as a high school football player and seems to be incredibly intent on living vicariously through his son.
On Thursday, The Athletic published an interview Ari Wasserman conducted with the elder San Miguel, who said he uses the money he earns doing IT work and personal training to support his mission to get Madden as much attention as possible.
Things have apparently worked out pretty well so far if you believe the claims Madden is raking in $100,000 a year thanks to various partnerships (his dad also said he’s already received a verbal offer from the University of Arizona), and he seems to think the sky is the limit based on what he had to say to close out the conversation:
“It’s bigger than people think and it’s only getting bigger. He just got posted on TMZ today.
It’s probably one of the bigger things on the internet as an influencer. He could be bigger than Bronny James.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if that ends up being the case.