Derek Jeter has more myth than man while he played for the New York Yankees. The Yankees shortstop managed to accomplish the incredibly hard task of garnering massive popularity while, at the same time, being rather boring and unassuming with the media.
Now that he’s retired, Jeter is trying to connect more with people. He’s started a website called The Players’ Tribune which will allow athletes to connect with fans by writing about their personal experiences in long form pieces. Jeter even acknowledged that he isn’t the most likely person to spearhead such an effort, given how private he was during his career:
“I do think fans deserve more than “no comments” or “I don’t knows.” Those simple answers have always stemmed from a genuine concern that any statement, any opinion or detail, might be distorted. I have a unique perspective. Many of you saw me after that final home game, when the enormity of the moment hit me. I’m not a robot. Neither are the other athletes who at times might seem unapproachable. We all have emotions. We just need to be sure our thoughts will come across the way we intend.”
In order to further prove that he is not a robot, Jeter (or the life-like cyborg who claims to be Derek Jeter) held a Twitter Q&A to further humanize himself. If the thought of Derek Jeter having a Twitter account seems odd, well, that’s understandable because a personal Derek Jeter Twitter account doesn’t exist yet. Instead, Jeter held his Q&A under The Players’ Tribune handle. What juicy tidbits did Jeter open with? Stuff like this.
.@RSolano24 john legend and alicia keys. -DJ
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 1, 2014
Ugh, Jeter would be a fan of Alicia Keys and John Legend. Is it possible to get more milquetoast than those two?
Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth-DJ RT @krementowski If you could invite 3 current or former players to dinner who would you invite
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 1, 2014
If you polled the world, this would be the aggregate’s top three.
.@armymp1975 they were all unique and special to the city and teams that gave them -DJ
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 1, 2014
Oh god, press conference Jeter is still alive and well. C’mon Jeets, give us something juicy.
.@Shinman116 I'm scared of cats -DJ
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 1, 2014
Ok, that’ll do. Baby steps.