Derek Jeter

"I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong." (Jeter) Derek Jeter proved himself as a phenomenon in the baseball culture, and has achieved many great things throughout his career. Jeter was born on June 26, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey, but soon moved to and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He is "the New York Yankees' all-time hit leader and a five-time World Series champion." (Horn) One of the many reasons Derek Jeter is so well known is because he is the captain of the New York Yankees. Derek is not only a baseball player, but also the leader of a foundation helping kids stay away from drugs and alcohol. Derek has spent all of his 18 seasons as a New York Yankee, and will retire in 2014. A hero is a person who thinks of others before himself, works hard to be a champion, and sets an example for others. They create their own paths, and do what needs to be done. Derek possesses all of these qualities and beyond. He is a hero because of his talent, his hard work, and because he is an inspiration.

Derek Jeter's career shows a lot of game changing talent that can't be taught. The basis of Derek Jeter's career is of his pure talent in the game of baseball. It's something that he was born with that can't be learned, and he shows it with ease, explained by David Brown here: "The 1996 American League Rookie of the Year has 13 All-Star game appearances to his credit and has finished in the top three for MVP three times, most recently in 2009 when the Yankees won their 27th World Series as a franchise." (Brown) Derek Jeter's talent helped pave the way for all the great things he has achieved throughout his career. He used his talent to achieve his dream of being the shortstop for the New York Yankees. His talent is a big reason why he is where he is today, and motivated him to always want to get better. Jeter's talent alone made him a standout player throughout the league, told here by Tom Robinson: "When manager Joe Torre made out his lineup, he put Jeter in the leadoff spot.He hit a home run on the game's very first pitch, and the Yankees never trailed again." (Robinson) Dereks talent helps him lead the Yankees as a captain and helps him perform for not only himself but for his teammates. He leads as a role model because of the greatness he achieves, and sets an example for the rest of his team. Derek uses his talent to lead his team as the captain, and to accomplish many incredible things as a person and as a player.

Derek Jeter is a hero because he works hard to be the best. To start, Jeter only had talent, but through hard work on and off the field he became the star he is today. "My philosophy is that a lot of people can be better than you, but no one should work harder. I work as hard as anybody, and eventually it should pay off." (Jeter-Robinson) As a kid, Derek Jeter dreamt of being the shortstop for the Yankees. His hard work throughout the years to become the best he could be made his childhood dream come true. The work ethic he made for himself helped him become the best that he could be. He sets examples for many because he knows hard work can help you achieve anything you set your mind to. Jeter only wanted to get better. Although he was already one of the best, he never stopped working to improve, explained here by John Horn: "Still, success did not go to his head. Instead, Jeter stepped up his performance for the 1999 season. The shortstop closed out the final season of the 20th century in grand fashion, breaking most of his personal records. He had career-highs in home runs (24), runs scored (134), triples (9), and RBIs (102)."(Horn) When Jeter was already an excellent player, he knew he could be better. His heroism is shown by the effort he puts into everything. Jeter's performance only got better through the work he put in, and he never stopped producing better and better numbers. Derek never sells himself short and always strives to get better. He works hard to get better for his team, so he can lead them to more and more wins. Through hard work, anything can be achieved, and Jeter worked as hard as anybody to make that come true.

Derek Jeter shows hero like qualities because of his talent, his amount of hard work, and because he is an inspiration. Derek uses his talent to lead his team as one of the best franchises in baseball history. With his talent, he works hard to get better to achieve more and more great things.  Derek has done so many incredible things as a Yankee and as a person, and these things help make others want to be better be people. He is "the franchise's all-time leader in career hits," has received "the Roberto Clemente Award for his community involvement," and has helped many kids along his journey; "it is Jeter's goal for young people to be able to turn to his foundation for guidance and help to avoid drugs and alcohol while it promotes healthy lifestyles." (Robinson) Derek has set many bars in baseball and as a charity owner that people dream of achieving. He is an inspiration because he puts others before himself, and because he possesses so many great qualities that others look up to. Jeter proved his motive to show he could be as good as anybody by putting in work, and showed he could be the best person possible on and off the field. He became an inspiration by achieving and setting so many great feats, and by helping others stay on the right path.

Works Cited

Brown, David. "Derek Jeter Announces Retirement on Facebook - effective after 2014 Season." Yahoo Sports. 

Big League Stew, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 May 2014.

Covert, Kim. "Derek Jeter." Derek Jeter (9780736807777) (2001): 4. Biography Reference Center. Web. 9 May 2014.

Horn, John, and Derek Jacques. "Derek Jeter." Contemporary Black Biography. Ed. Margaret Mazurkiewicz. Vol.  

93. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Biography in Context. Web. 2 May 2014.

Robinson, Tom. Derek Jeter: Captain on and off the Field. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2006. Print.

"Jeter, Derek."  World Book Discover. World Book, 2014. Web. 9 May 2014.

Jeter, Derek. "Derek Jeter Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 18 May 2014.