Derek Jeter managed to evade any significant criticism throughout his career, but now he’s in the media, an industry where no one is universally beloved.
Jeter made his MLB on Fox debut over the weekend, joining Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Kevin Burkhardt on set to cover the 2023 MLB London Series. Reviews for Jeter’s media debut were largely positive as he looked and sounded comfortable in his new role as an analyst. But not everyone was sold on the chemistry between Jeter and his new team on Fox, with Fox Sports Radio host Dan Patrick questioning some of their hijinks.
“There’s a lot of forced laughter on that Fox set with A-Rod and Jeter and Big Papi,” Patrick said to the tune of some forced laughter from his show cast. “And then Big Papi fooled [Jeter], tricked him into a Red Sox jersey – and then laughter.”
By putting Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz on the same set, Fox has attempted to create baseball’s version of Inside the NBA with their pre and postgame MLB studio show. In doing that, the show MLB show has relished forced bits to encourage laughter, such as Ortiz presenting Jeter with a Red Sox jersey.
While the forced laughter may have continued with Jeter on set, it certainly wasn’t caused by Jeter being on set. Jeter’s presence did not disrupt any Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal-like chemistry between Rodriguez and Ortiz. Contrarily, it’s A-Rod who seems to be followed by forced laughter throughout his career, continuing to appear tense and inauthentic despite eight years on TV.
Forced laughter wasn’t Patrick’s only gripe with Jeter’s debut. According to the radio host, Fox sent him a box shaped like home plate with a Yankees hat and an audio recording of Burkhardt announcing Jeter’s debut, but they glossed over the fact that it was taking place in London. As a whole, ESPN, MLB and Fox did a terrible job of promoting the London series, with many baseball fans not even realizing the games were being played.
Update: A previous version of this article did not note Fox and ESPN split broadcasting the MLB London Series
