Sports Parents Sticking Up for Their Babies

One might think that when a person becomes a pro athlete, their parents step back and let them be—but that's just not the case.

Their kid might be an instant millionaire and a beloved by fans all over the world, but that doesn't mean that the athlete isn't still their son or daughter.

With players getting so much criticism from fans, media and other players, some parents make sure that they always have their kids' back—and these are a few of them.

Honorable Mention: Tony Wilson's Mom

Sure, this one happened back in 1989, but that just means that it’s in the Hall of Fame of defensive parents.

Most of us know the story.

Former boxer Tony Wilson was getting pummeled during a bout with Steve McCarthy, seemingly helpless while backed into the corner, against the ropes.

Just when you thought the bell would ring and the match would be called, Wilson’s mom, Minna, came into the ring to beat McCarthy over the head with a shoe to help her son out.

Rather than call the fight, the ref sent both fighters back out there to finish things up, with McCarthy so shocked at everything, that he actually ended up losing to Wilson.

Mama won’t let you knock her son out!

Eli Manning's Dad

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Even after winning two Super Bowls, people still love attacking the play of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Like all signal-callers, Eli is the face of the franchise.

Unlike others, though, he happens to play in the media capital of the world, and on a team that has incredible history.

For that reason, he’s routinely questioned and blamed anytime the G-Men struggle.

Eli’s dad, Archie Manning, thinks it’s unfair, though, and he stood up for his youngest son by saying he isn’t the only reason the team has struggled in recent years, as reported by Charles Curtis on NJ.com.

Considering Archie was a decent quarterback himself, maybe people should consider this to be true.

Caroline Wozniacki's Dad

It’s always interesting when parents also happen to be the coach’s of their kids.

That’s the case with tennis pro Caroline Wozniacki and her dad, Piotr, who, wouldn’t let a bad call ruin his daughter’s chance of winning a match.

His competitiveness came out last year during the Qatar Total Open, with Piotr refusing to leave the arena following an argument with the umpire during his daughter’s match.

Eventually, Caroline got back to playing tennis, going on to beat her opponent—so I guess her dad/coach somehow did actually help.

Tyler Seguin's Parents

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Hands-down, Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin is one of the biggest partiers in the NHL.

Still just 22 years old, Seguin has already enjoyed great success on the ice, and, I’m just assuming, even better conquests off of it.

And because of his partying ways, his former team, the Boston Bruins, required he have a personal security guard during the playoffs to make sure things didn’t get too out of hand.

Getting shipped off to Dallas prior to last season, Seguin’s partying has always been an issue, which, if you ask his parents, is completely bogus.

The Seguin’s have gone from believing that the Boston media made up stories to attack their son and even defended Tyler’s rousing lifestyle.

I guess the kid’s parents just want what’s best for him—even if it does mean getting a little rowdy.

Austin Rivers' Dad

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Blame it on being young and dumb, but when former Duke Blue Devils star Austin Rivers said that he didn’t want to just meet LeBron James, but one day destroy him on the basketball court, he opened himself up to some major criticism.

Naturally, the then freshman’s dad—former baller and current head coach, Doc Rivers—came to the aid of his son, defending his son’s words and offering up a bit of an explanation to take some of the heat off of the younger Rivers, according to CSNNE.com.

Of course, thus far in his NBA career, Austin hasn’t been destroying anyone, struggling with consistency and lack of playing time.

Marshawn Lynch's Mom

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Seattle Seahawks All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch’s nickname might be Beast Mode, but, because of his contract with the team, he held out earlier this offseason for being Least Mode—as in, he thought he was being underpaid by the team.

And while he eventually came around and showed up to training camp, ending his brief absence, the narrative around his request for a new contract wasn’t exactly taken positively by media members.

That upset Marshawn’s mom, Sunshine, who wasn’t shy in voicing her opinion with an all caps comment in one particular piece that she read online. She called out a reporter for what she thought was just guessing on the entire topic, not actually thinking about it.

Maybe we should start referring to her as Beast Mom after such harsh criticism.

Dwight Howard's Dad

Sam Forencich/Getty Images

It seems like it was forever ago, but remember that lone season in which current Houston Rockets All-Star center Dwight Howard played for the L.A. Lakers?

Yeah, that didn’t exactly turn out so well.

Rather than having a superteam that included stars like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash, the Lakers bottomed out by getting swept out of the first-round by the eventual Conference champion San Antonio Spurs—with Howard getting booted in the deciding game.

And with the media thrashing Dwight for his antics and pouting throughout the season, Howard’s dad came to his son’s defense, according to a report by Ben Golliver on SI.com. He pointed the finger at Bryant and then-Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni, claiming that they were guilty for the dysfunction and, eventually, the lost season.

J.R Smith's Dad

Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images

!New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith is an absolute enigma.

Never one to hold his opinion or feelings to himself, Smith has been fined for doing some crazy things over the course of his career, which involved untying opponents’ shoes and snapping their sweatbands.

He also happens to be one of the streakiest shooters in the NBA, with him capable of dropping 40 on any given night, or putting up a big donut—yet still jacking up shots at will.

And when he was in a monster slump during the 2013 postseason, J.R. refused to let his job get in the way of his social life, which caused some to criticize the player even more.

His dad, Earl, though? Well, he wasn’t having it.

Rather than tell his son to tone it down, Earl defended J.R., saying that people shouldn’t care about him going out following a loss, and that he knows what he’s doing, according to the New York Post (via BeyondTheBuzzer.com).

Well, it turns out dad didn’t know best, because the Knicks got bounced in six games against the Indiana Pacers.

Richard Sherman's Dad

Ahh, yes, that little postgame ran of star cornerback Richard Sherman following his team’s win over the San Francisco 49ers in last season’s NFC title game.

It got twisted and debated for two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, with the media referring to Sherman as a thug and such, none of which were appropriate for a Stanford-educated man.

And because so many media types and fans were out of line, Richard Sherman’s dad, Kevin, came to his son's defense in the midst of all the racial abuse, as reported by Andy Milne on GeorgiaNewsday.com—which should be applauded, considering that’s what a lot of it was from those bashing the All-Pro.

Colin Kaepernick's Parents

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

One of the emerging, young signal-callers in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick has gotten a lot of attention since taking over the starting gig in 2012.

That’s what will happen to a guy when he leads his team to three-straight NFC title games and one Super Bowl.

But as much praise as the kid gets for being dynamic, he also has his fair share of critics, who bash him for the amount of tattoos he has all over him and question the amount of money he was requesting—and eventually received—from the Niners in a new contract.

All of that seemed to make his parents a little upset, with them responding and defending Colin to the media.

LeBron James' Mom

No one messes with the King!

At least that’s the message that LeBron James’ mom, Gloria, wanted to send to the Boston Celtics back during the 2008 NBA Playoffs after a few of the guys tried to bully her son around.

LeBron’s reaction?

Well, he basically told his mom to sit back down and let it be—though I’m sure his words were a bit more “mature.”

The testiness seemed to wake up Bron, as he punctuated the altercation with a slam right in former C’s forward Kevin Garnett’s grill and led his Cavs to a win to even the series—though they eventually lost.

Larry Fitzgerald's Dad

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

When your son is a future Hall of Fame wide receiver, it’s pretty disheartening when he doesn’t get the football thrown in his direction during games.

And because Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald is one of the classiest, most humble athletes in sports, he would never openly say anything about it.

His dad, Larry Sr., is a different story, though?

Saying that he wasn’t too pleased with the lack of targets Larry got in the opening game against the San Diego Chargers, Fitz’s dad voiced his frustration on Twitter.

Naturally, Larry downplayed the act, tweeting that he wasn’t worried about potential catches, as long as the team got the win.

Floyd Mayweather Jr's Dad

John Locher/Associated Press

One of the biggest beefs in entertainment over the past couple of years hasn’t seemed to cool off one bit.

Once compadres, rapper 50 Cent and boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. don’t seem to get along as great these days, with the two going after each other on social media and in interviews.

So how should all this be solved?

According to Money’s dad, Floyd Sr., the two should duke it out in the ring, with the elder Mayweather suggesting it a few weeks ago, as reported by MusicTimes.com.