Being a famous athlete comes with numerous amount of perks. One of them includes, becoming the faces of the biggest brands. After a year of debut in the Major Leagues in 1995, the legendary shortstop, Derek Jeter, led his team, New York Yankees, to a World Series win. The ’96 World Series win was the team’s first after the year 1978.

His career started to take off, and the shortstop started to appear in endorsements and signed with some major brands to be their face. One of the biggest brands of which Jeter became the face was Nike. Jeter first signed with the brand in the year, when he also became a third-time World Series Champion.

Derek Jeter is the longest-serving champion!

Other than the NBA legend, Michael Jordan, baseball’s Derek Jeter is the only athlete who has served the longest in the Jordan brand. Considering that Jeter has the most Jordan shoes other than the maker of the line, it seems right. 

From 1999 to 2022, Jeter has served as the face of the brand and will continue to do so for a long period of time as looks like. The Captain also has been baseball’s most marketable player every year since 2000. He has, after all, led his team to win five World Series. 

Bob Dorfman of Baker Street Advertising once said about Jeter, “No baseball player ever has been, or maybe ever will be, as successful at moving product and enhancing brands as Jeter.”

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It was not easy for Jeter to stand up and make a mark in a sport that is very regional. Adding to that was the steroid era, which had tainted the game. 

Nike paid a special tribute to Jeter

The Captain retired from the game he loved the most in 2014. He was still the face of the brand, and the brand paid tribute to him in its own special way.

The shoe company’s new commercial, “RE2PECT,” showcased Jeter stepping on the plate at the Yankee Stadium. He also had a range of New Yorkers, celebrities, and fellow athletes tip their hats to him. The commercial included, appearances by the former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, rapper Jay-Z, film director Spike Lee, and ex-Yankees manager, Joe Torre.

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Jeter was and is still special for the brand. So he got a special farewell from the brand when he retired from the game he loved the most.