Derek Jeter reveals he initially told Fox ‘absolutely not’

Derek Jeter could never envision himself broadcasting.

His time was consumed elsewhere, but he did have a chance to do something at the World Series in Philadelphia a few years back, and he saw just how much fun “the guys” were having. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Jeter wanted to do it himself, as he told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina on the SI Media Podcast that when Fox reached out, his initial answer was “absolutely not.”

“And then, I got a chance to think about it a little bit more,” he said. “It keeps you connected with the game; you still get a chance to watch games and be connected with the sport. I still think it’s the greatest sport in the world. So, I was all in. I’ve had a great time.

“We have good chemistry. I’ve known Alex (Rodriguez) for a long time. I’ve gotten to know Kevin (Burkhardt); Kevin is the best. He is the absolute best. To watch him on a daily basis, deal with the World Series, and then have to leave to do a game with the NFL on Sunday — it’s remarkable what he’s able to do. And he makes it comfortable; he makes it easy. And David Ortiz, I didn’t really know as a player. Back when I played, you didn’t really fraternize with your opponents. I didn’t want anything to do with him off the field, quite frankly. I had respect for him, but I really didn’t want to get to know him. But he’s exactly what you’d imagine, one of the best people you’ll ever meet.”

It’s fair to say that Jeter’s enjoying himself. But that doesn’t mean he wants to expand his role in the realm of broadcasting. He shared with Traina that doing the entire game isn’t just for him. He’s been approached by YES Network, presumably to join their cast of recurring analysts alongside Michael Kay and Co., but that doesn’t seem to appeal to The Captain.

“Doing entire games and pre-and-post games are completely different,” Jeter said. “Doing an entire game, that’s stressful. You got to talk for two and a half, three straight hours, and you have to be interesting. Whereas pre- and post-game, you have a few segments where you can speak your mind, and post-game, you’re reacting to the game—the highlights and what you saw.

“I don’t have any interest at this point to do entire games. It’s just a lot of talking and dissecting. And I really enjoy what I do know.”

At this point in his media career, Jeter has no interest in being an analyst.

[SI Media Podcast]