Jeter Comes Clean About Media
By Lionel Olivo
For almost 20 years, former Yankee captain Derek Jeter short-changed journalists through bland answers and evasive maneuvers. He finally came clean last week with the strategies he used to maintain a low profile in the mecca of modern sports and media scrutiny, New York City.
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His strategy was simple: “There’s two things you can always say to the media: one is, you have no comment and I don’t know,” he said. The media “savant” correctly deduced that there’s just no follow up question to those particular answers.
Earlier in the year during the launch of his new venture, The Players Tribune, Jeter reflected why he came off as bland.” I realize I’ve been guarded. I learned early on in New York, the toughest media environment in sports, that just because a reporter asks you a question doesn’t mean you have to answer. I attribute much of my success in New York to my ability to understand and avoid unnecessary distractions. Those simple answers have always stemmed from a genuine concern that any statement, any opinion or detail, might be distorted,” he said.
However, even Derek Jeter couldn’t stifle the power and creativity of desperate “journalists” on deadline. On more than a few occasions some tabloids had him getting married, being engaged or somewhere in between. They also built him into the everyday party animal.
So much so that even George Steinbrenner, a.k.a. “The Boss,” called him into his office every season before he made Jeter captain. The reason? Just to tell him not to party until 3 a.m. That was the inspiration for this Visa commercial:
Even though Jeter fought hard to avoid the media’s influence in his life, he undoubtedly was marked by it. A few days after retiring, he launched The Players Tribune, an outlet for players to speak directly to the public, without filters, editors or go betweens. Just players and their stories.