Over the years that the Yankees legend Derek Jeter has been playing, he even rose to the status of the country’s favorite male athlete once. The Hall of Famer has earned quite a few titles, including Mr. Clean and many others. He is the 28th player in Major League Baseball history to have 3000 hits. 

Because of every title, achievement, and play, the five times World Series Champion also went in the race for America’s favorite Athlete. In doing so, he also dethroned a couple of athletes who had first place before him. 

When did Derek Jeter become the country’s favorite athlete?

Two years after the New York Yankees’ last World Series title, in 2011, the number 2 became the favorite athlete. That being the case, Derek Jeter dethroned NBA legend late Kobe Bryant and Golf Star player Tiger Woods from the first place on the list. Since 2004, Jeter has been in the top 10 of the list. But this was the first time that he made it to the top. 

In 2010, Woods and Bryant shared first place. But, next year, Bryant slipped to third, while Woods dropped to fifth place. Also, NBA player LeBron James, who was in sixth place in 2010, dropped out of the top ten list entirely the next year. 

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Ever since this happened, Jeter’s fame has risen among the Yankees fans, as did his play. Three years later, after becoming America’s favorite male athlete, the baseball legend decided to retire from the game.

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Then, on May 14, 2017, the New York Yankees retired the jersey number 2 of ‘The Captain.’ Three years later, in the Hall of Fame class of 2020, Jeter got inducted into Cooperstown.

Jeter was America’s favorite male athlete but who was the favorite female athlete?

At the time when Jeter became the favorite male athlete in the United States of America, there was a female athlete who ranked first and still is one of the best athletes the country has ever seen. 

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She is none other than the highest-earning woman athlete of all time, the legend Serena Williams. Her sister, Venus Williams, was not too far from her. While Serena took first place, Venus gladly took the second.