Rob Gronkowski Kitten Photos Smart Way for TE to Show True Personality

Rob Gronkowski has built his NFL career with the New England Patriots on being one of the most unique characters in all of sports. He's loud, colorful and animated in a way that you either love or hate, but now he's giving fans a unique look inside the man behind the madness. 

In a new profile for ESPN The Magazine, with an interview conducted by Lindsay Czarniak, Gronkowski opens up about his life by talking about everything from how dancing helps his football skills to doing pushups while watching Spongebob Squarepants. 

There's also the picture that will eventually produce thousands of memes, which was tweeted out by ESPN The Magazine's account:

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YOU GUYS. http://t.co/9b8jOV3CJU pic.twitter.com/MfmE2wmeE1

— ESPN The Magazine (@ESPNMag) December 10, 2014"

It's a perfect encapsulation of what people love and hate about Gronkowski. Those who cheer for him will think it's adorable, while those who loathe the sight of him are going to accuse him of hamming things up for the camera. 

Yet maybe, just maybe this is who Gronkowski is. Even though he's been around for a long time already, this is still a 25-year-old young man. Think about what your life was like when you were 25, if you are older than that, and how you likely came off to people.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Now imagine that you are under a spotlight playing with one of the biggest NFL franchises in the NFL with one of the most famous quarterbacks in history throwing you passes.

Gronkowski's got a youthful enthusiasm about everything. Czarniak even mentioned to the star tight end that he has said he would like to be a kid again and asked him about growing up with his family. 

"It was a blast," Gronkowski said in response. "I've got four brothers, so with them and all our friends we had these sports parties in the basement. We'd play basketball, mini-sticks, baseball in the backyard, football, whatever it was. We were busy 24/7."

He was also asked about being able to get Tom Brady to lighten up at times, especially in practice:

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Sometimes he gets a little too serious in practice and I'll be joking around or whatever, just getting everyone to laugh and smile. Sometimes he sees me goofing around, so he jumps on board saying jokes and starts goofing around too. It's good to see him loosen up, 'cause you can't be fully serious 24/7.

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The purpose of Gronkowski's interview lies in what he is saying, not how he says it. There's a perception that athletes have to behave in a certain way, especially depending on the outcome of a game. 

Rodney Harrison famously criticized Gronkowski for appearing to enjoy himself at a party after the Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, via ESPNBoston.com:

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When we lost the Super Bowl, any of my Super Bowl losses, I was so devastated the last thing I ever wanted to do was party, let alone dance or take off your shirt. It's just immaturity. It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point. There's a time and place for everything.

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What Harrison failed to realize is that not everyone is like him. Athletes are people. They have different reactions to different things. 

Gronkowski opened up about being afraid that he wouldn't be the same player following his injury problems the previous two years:

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I remember I was on the X-ray machine after they carried me off the field on the cart. I mean, I kind of had a concussion too, so I really don't remember. But I was actually bawling out on the machine when I was getting X-rays on my knee. And I was holding on to my trainer's hand and my dad was right there and I was just bawling like, "Is this it? Am I done?" I barely remember any of it. I just remember those little stages of it, because of the concussion.

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Yet if you go by Harrison's comments, Gronkowski knows nothing about what it means to be a professional athlete and to lose everything. That's not how people are wired. No one can deny that Gronk cares about what he does and is motivated to be great. 

There are going to be times when Gronkowski doesn't act the way that everyone else would when his team loses or gets too excited when making a great play. That's just who the guy is, as this interview and kitten picture show. 

Some people can handle it; others can't. Much like the Patriots, you either love it or you don't. Gronkowski doesn't have to fit in some set definition of what an athlete should be. There's nothing wrong with being who you are all the time. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

@adamwells1985