Derek Jeter Recalls Racism While Growing Up in “The Captain”
Derek Jeter recalls racism he experienced in his childhood while growing up in The Captain.
This Sunday, the Tribeca Film Festival hosted the world premiere of The Captain, a seven-part documentary series made to explore Derek Jeter’s life both on and off the baseball field. The New York Yankees also showed the first two episodes at the Yankee Stadium on July 8th. Director Randy Wilkins said the docuseries aimed to “discover the man behind the iconic Yankees No. 2 jersey,” and help show why he is not just a great baseball player, but also a societal icon, as he wanted to show how he shaped New York City’s culture.
Last night, we hosted a special screening of the first 2 episodes of "The Captain" at @YankeeStadium. It was a memorable evening having #TheCaptain back in the Bronx. We look forward to the premiere on @ESPN on July 18! 👏 pic.twitter.com/xVybMRNsGV
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 8, 2022
Jeter claimed that during his career, he wanted to keep a curtain over his life, which led to many mysteries surrounding him. However, after retirement, he felt obligated to showcase more of his life and tell fans what he’s really like.
Episode one of The Captain takes a look into Jeter’s life as a biracial kid growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His parent’s relationship was heavily scrutinized, and many people in their community looked down upon other interracial relationships. His parents worked hard to shield Jeter from racism while also instilling good work ethics and mentalities. Jeter recalled the times he noticed subtle forms of racism, but also commended his parent’s notions in letting him know that he would experience such things sometimes.
Even after Jeter got drafted, he still experienced racism, remembering one time he was called the n-word when he came back home after playing for the Greensboro Hornets, a Yankees affiliate team. However, he didn’t let any of this stop him, and Jeter went on to debut for the Yankees in 1995 as shortstop and would later be commended by his manager for the efforts he demonstrated.
Jeter’s showcase of his childhood can serve as motivation for the next generation of people following his footsteps as they navigate societal problems and tensions and work to achieve their goals.
The Captain, executively produced by Spike Lee and Mike Tolin, will officially be released on July 18th on the ESPN channel, airing at 10 PM.
This billboard for "The Captain" outside of Fenway Park 👀
"The Captain" begins July 18 on ESPN/ESPN+ 📺
(h/t @pamsson) pic.twitter.com/D4d1tFpE7Z
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) July 4, 2022
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