Dad's Public Method of Helping Son's Grades Is Slam Dunk

There aren't a lot of fathers who would attend an NBA game specifically to hold a sign encouraging their son to get better grades in front of a television audience. And there's maybe only one father who would bother to get that sign professionally made. "Thomas get your grades back up and next time you'll be here," reads the sign held aloft by Tommy at a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets on March 24. CBS News reports photos of Tommy and his sign went viral, with the St. Louis dad being called "father of the year." Tommy says his 12-year-old son Thomas had recently switched from public school to private school. He tells Inside Edition that Thomas' grades in Mandarin and "a couple of other courses" were down on his latest report card.

"It's not that he didn't get it—he didn't do his best," Tommy tells CBS, hence the sign. Tommy called Thomas, who usually attends games with his father, to see if he saw the sign. He didn't answer. So two nights later, Tommy was back on TV, holding a new sign at a Houston Rockets game against the Oklahoma City Thunder: "Thomas can you hear me now? STUDENT then ATHLETE son. In that order." This time, Tommy says his son got the message "loud and clear." He says Thomas has promised "to do better." And he says to look for father and son reunited at an upcoming game with a new sign reading, "Look who got their grades together." (More parenting stories.)