Derek Jeter became a commercial success almost as soon as he broke into the big leagues. And as he enters the Hall of Fame, a new chapter for his brand begins.
In the past half century, no name has been more synonymous with the New York Yankees than Derek Jeter. His rise coincided with the resurgence of the most storied franchise in American sports and over his 20-year career in the Bronx, the Yankees made the playoffs 18 times, won five World Series, and never finished with a losing record.
Calling Jeter overrated might get you some likes on Twitter, but there’s no denying he is an all-time great. Even though the career .310 hitter never put up eye-popping power numbers, he was as consistent as anyone in baseball as the game transitioned from the slugging 90s into the analytics-driven modern era. He didn’t hit worse than .290 at any point between 1996 and 2009, making the All-Star team 10 times in that span.
And this week, he enters the Baseball Hall of Fame in a COVID-delayed 2020 induction ceremony.
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Jeter’s consistency did more than earn him five rings, five Silver Sluggers, and 14 total All-Star nods. He became the face of the Yankees almost instantly, as the lifelong Yankees fan turned Rookie of the Year turned postseason hero became an icon at a young age, and not just in New York.
“Mr. November” Becomes the Face of Baseball
Jeter came up around the same time as fellow shortstop phenoms Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra, but Jeter was the one who played deep into October, even hitting one of the most iconic (though controversial) home runs of the 1990s as a rookie.
The ’96 playoffs were the first of many instances where his prowess on the field immediately translated into success off the field.
The Yankees went on to win the World Series that year, and again in 1998 with one of the greatest teams ever — the first year of a three-peat. Jeter’s combination of clutch hitting, enormous home market, and — let’s be honest — his photogenic looks made him the most marketable man in baseball.
After the ’96 championship, Jeter found himself front-and-center on the coveted commemorative Wheaties box before earning himself his own Jeter-branded frosted flakes a year later.
After the ’96 season, Jeter appeared in the famous Seinfeld episode “The Abstinence,” and by 1997 was on the cover of New York Magazine. By the time the ’98 season began, Jeter had his first signature shoe: the Fila Jeter mid, which served as a mere appetizer for what was to come with his eventual deals with Nike and Jordan.
Somehow, that was all just the beginning.
Jeter’s uncanny ability to produce at the most opportune moments only raised his profile in the years to come. Whether it was his first-pitch home run in the 2000 World Series, “The Flip” in the 2001 ALDS against Oakland, or his Mr. November homer a few weeks later, his Captain Clutch nickname was well earned.
Derek Jeter’s Earnings & Endorsements
According to Spotrac, Derek Jeter earned an estimated $266,230,000 in career salary from the Yankees organization. That number ranks:
- No. 5 in baseball history
- No. 2 behind Alex Rodriguez among players who spent the majority of their career with the Yankees
- No. 1 all-time among players who only played for a single MLB team
Over a quarter of a billion dollars is an eye-popping figure, but off the field, the Captain was a magnet for endorsement deals from the beginning of his career, a trend that only intensified as his legend grew.
His footwear allegiance transitioned from Fila to Jordan Brand, launching the Jumpman Turn 2 in 2002 as the company’s first-ever baseball signing. It was the first in a line of signature shoes and cleats that he released almost every year until his retirement, eventually becoming the longest-tenured Jordan Brand athlete outside of Michael Jordan himself.
Jeter was also one of the most prominent Gatorade athletes of his time, starring in a handful of commercials for the sports drink brand alongside the likes of Dwyane Wade, Peyton Manning, and Maria Sharapova.
The Hall of Famer might be remembered best for his Jordan and Gatorade deals, but also racked up additional endorsements with Steiner Sports, Visa, Discover, Oreo, Rawlings, and Gillette, among many others.
As of 2014, the year he retired, Forbes valued Jeter’s deals at an estimated $9 million a year, which notably exceeds Shohei Ohtani’s pace-setting $6 million annual endorsement haul among active players.
Enduring Images
As an icon to young athletes everywhere, Jeter quickly became one of the most desirable video game cover stars. He took the cover in the All-Star Baseball series each of its final six iterations from 2000 to 2005. Once that series ended, Jeter appeared on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K ‘s 2005, ’06, and ’07 editions.
His likeness also became valuable on cardboard, too.
Jeter’s draft pick baseball cards from 1992 and 1993 often sell for thousands, with the foil variant of his 1993 SP rookie card the most desirable of them all.
That one has gone for as much as $690,000 — a private sale via PWCC Marketplace in March of this year — and often finds its way into the headlines every time a new transaction is consummated.
With his Hall of Fame induction coming Wednesday, Jeter’s value has carried over into the non-fungible token market as well. DraftKings featured Jeter as one of its debut athletes earlier this year when it launched its official Marketplace, and upcoming drops of Jeter NFTcollectibles will go for up to $1,500 apiece.
And if previous DraftKings Marketplace releases involving superstars like Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, and Simone Biles are any indication, the Captain’s collection can be expected to sell out fast.
An Evolving Reputation
For as great as Jeter was, he was deliberate about maintaining a clean public image. As a rookie, he launched the Turn 2 Foundation, which aims to help young people avoid alcohol and drug addiction. In 2000, he released his book, The Life You Imagine, aimed to inspire those with dreams of their own with all the life lessons a 26-year-old could reasonably provide.
That’s not to say Jeter didn’t have his fun; he did, and the New York press was hot on the case when he dated celebrities like Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johnansson, and Adriana Lima. But he never jeopardized his team’s chances or his business opportunities.
He even turned the one time then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner publicly accused him of partying too much into a memorable commercial for Visa.
Staying In The Game
Even Jeter’s final season — a subpar 2014 campaign where he was a shell of his former self — was wildly lucrative. His farewell tour began with the Jordan Brand tagline “RE2PECT,” and as he visited opposing cities and collected gifts from his biggest rivals, the TV commercials ran, the tributes poured in, and eventually, RE2PECT became its very own apparel line in 2016.
In 2014, Jeter also launched The Players’ Tribune, a site for professional athletes to tell their stories from a first-person perspective. Kobe Bryant published his legendary “Dear Basketball” letter on the site to announce his retirement in 2015, leading to everyone from David Ortiz to Kevin Durant to Sabrina Ionescu using the platform to announce major career decisions.
More importantly, Breanna Stewart added her voice to the Me Too movement in a moving essay on the site where she told the world she had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child.
While TPT has added to its roster of star writers and editors, it’s also signed deals with Powerade, Toyota, and more to fund its endeavors. In late 2019, as the brand worked with a financial advisor to boost its long-term viability, Minute Media acquired The Players’ Tribune, giving Jeter a seat on its board of directors as part of the deal.
Jeter’s efforts to make inroads as an investor in the sports took a more dramatic turn in 2017, however.
He purchased a 4% stake in the Miami Marlins, and additionally took over day-to-day operations as the franchise’s CEO. Except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season that saw the Marlins make the playoffs, the team has yet to take off with Jeter at the helm — but he’s quietly rebuilt the franchise’s farm system into one of the best in baseball after being considered arguably the very worst in baseball as recently as 2017.
As of August, the Marlins’ minor league affiliates boasted seven top-100 players, according to MLB Pipeline — more than any other team.
Jeter still has plenty of work ahead of him with the Marlins as a business, however. Sportico named the franchise the least valuable in baseball at $1.12 billion, about half the league average.
But as the Marlins figure out how to compete in the NL East for the long haul, Jeter has his latest, greatest chance to take a step back this week and reflect on his Hall of Fame career in pinstripes when he is officially inducted at Cooperstown.
He made it there for one reason above all else: by winning. And his consistency on the field gives him an opportunity to do what other faces of their respective sports like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson have done since wrapping their playing careers taking the art of brand-building into overdrive and of it since he broke into the big leagues.
