Derek Jeter: Baseball's Hottest Heartthrob
Ebony, April 2000
If ever there was the perfect personification of the term "chick magnet," then it comes in a 6-foot-3, 195-pound package called Derek Jeter. He is charming; he is polite; he is good-looking; he's smooth and suave, and he just happens to be rich, the recent recipient of a $10 million-a-year contract with the world-champion New York Yankees.
One of the best examples of the All-Star shortstop's amazing appeal came during the World series parade in New York City's Canyon of Heroes. In a sea of reveling fans who had come to celebrate the Yankkes25th world championship, there was one placard, banner or sign after another, designed to do just one thing--get Jeter's attention. "DEREK, I LOVE YOU!" "DEREK, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" "TAKE ME HOME WITH YOU, DEREK!"
Along with those public declarations and requests came the ear-piercing squeals that accompany each sighting and mention of the 25 year old's name. He is baseball's hottest heartthrob, and the treatment that he gets would prompt envy among matinee idols.
"Here's a man who's handsome, elegant, poised, cordial to those who seek his attention, and he's rich too. What's not to like about him?" says Juanita Wright, a 35-year-old beautician in NY City. "He's just a real attractive and charming guy who seems to be down-to-earth, and any woman would want to wrap her arms around him."
Vanessa Pierce agrees with that assessment without hesitation. "I don't even like baseball, but I know who Derek Jeter is, and I think that he's just gorgeous, a hunk," says the 22 year-old computer expert who lives in Tampa, where Jeter has a home and where the Yankees have a training facility. "I have seen him in person, and television doesn't do him justice. I was able to get close to him, and believe me, there is just an aura around him that attracts you. It's kind of spellbinding."
The rock-star-like frenzy that surrounds Jeter is intensified because he is experiencing much of it on what many people consider to be the greatest entertainment stage in the world-- NY City. But the matinee-idol-like treatment is just as evident wherever he goes, from his hometown in Kalamazoo, Mich., to Chicago to Birmingham to Dallas to Los Angeles and points in between.
"This whole thing has just been overwhelming since I came to New York," Jeter says. "I appreciate the attention, but it has been totally unexpected."
Jetermania has even entered cyberspace. Thanks, primarily to his female fans, there are no less than 5,856 Web pages on the Internet that relate to Jeter. Among the pages are "Liana's Derek Jeter Page," "Derek Jeter Fanpage," "Totally Jeter," "Derek Jeter Gab Fest," "Jeannett's Ultimate Derek Jeter Page," and "Carol's Derek Jeter HotPage," all of which include pictures, posters, videos, message boards and all kinds of personal and professional information about the Yankees All_Star shortstop.
All of this attention and adoration is directed toward a man who was a shy and reticent boy who sometimes had to be urged by his parents to interact with other children. Perhaps it is that hint of boyish shyness that still contributes to his attractiveness.
Although Jeter could have a little black book with as many entries as a Webster's dictionary, he admittedly doesn't date much, especially during the baseball season, fearing that too much of a good time could affect his approach to the game. Besides, he surprisingly considers himself to be "boring," and a perfect evening for him, he says, is a good meal and a movie- and not necessarily at a restaurant and theater.
"I eat all the time and watch so many movies that I could be a movie critic," says Jeter, who has helped the Yankees win three World Series championships since he made it to the major leagues in 1996.
Even with all of the wide-eyed and available women vying for Jeter's attention, he says he hasn't found the person with whom he wants to settle down. But he knows what he wants in that special woman. "she would have to be a good girl with good qualities-- someone who is independent, confident and someone who has a good heart," Jeter says. "She would have to be someone who would love me for who I am, rather than what I am. And she'd have to be understanding and able to deal with the attention."
Finding a person with those qualities is only the first step to a serious relationship because, as it has been since Jeter was a teenager, the next step for the woman vying for his heart is to pass the scrutiny of Jeter's mother, Dorothy and his sister , Sharlee. He trusts their instincts and, in the past, their assessments have weighed heavily in his decisions to spend (or not spend) time with certain women.
While the search continues for the special woman with whom Jeter can open his heart, he already has a love of his life that he has been involved with since 1996--his Turn 2 Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that promotes a healthy lifestyle for ypuths through the assistance of program activities designed for the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse for youths who are at-risk.
"I always said that if I made it to the major leagues, I would set up a foundation that would have a positive impact on kids," says the 1996 Rookie of the Year, whose foundation also supports programs that promote academic achievement and leadership development among youths. "When you are young, you feel the impact that someone in the public eye has on your life.
For me, [former New York Yankee] Dave Winfield was that someone. He was my hero, not only because of his athletic ability, but because of his work off the field. Despite his demanding schedule, he went out of his way to help others."
Four years ago, Derek's father, Dr. S. Charles Jeter, sat in a Detroit hotel room with his son, and while dining on pizza before a game with the Tigers, both drew the foundation's outline. Two years ago, Dr. Jeter, a drug and alcohol abuse counselor, gave up his practice to become the foundation's executive director.
"I'm proud that Derek has taken it upon himself to do something like this," Dr Jeter says. "He's concerned about young people because when they fail, so much potential is destroyed."Derek Jeter's generosity and concern, combined with his enormous talent, simply add to his appeal and is just another example of why he continues to be baseball's hottest heartthrob.