Boston tourism strategically placed a quirky Derek Jeter billboard ad in NYC to highlight Beantown's multiculturalism

Derek Jeter seems to have no escape from the much contested New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox that he was quite the central figure of. A billboard set up by Boston Tourism in the city of New York used Jeter's playing career as a means to attract people from the Big Apple to their city.

Derek Jeter, as we know, is synonymous with the Yankees dynasty that dominated baseball for the better half of the 1990s and early 2000s. Jeter started playing for the Yankees in 1996 and was a star player, winning 4 World Series in his first two years. He would become the team captain of New York in 2003 and win another World Series in 2009.

The Boston Tourism bureau last month announced a new campaign worth $7 million, with the assistance of marketing agency Allen & Gerritsen to better portray the city of Boston for outsiders. As part of the campaign, they used Derek Jeter's captaincy and his games on the road to Boston as a gimmick.

“The captain loved Boston so much, he went back 144 times,” read the billboard.

This is in reference to the 144 games that "Captain" Derek Jeter played at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. The billboard is right in the heart of New York City’s Times Square and is part of the Meet Boston Initiative, aiming to present Boston's multiculturalism and diversity. It is an attempt to clear the impression of Boston being a city where there is a lot of exclusiveness.

“People have a sense of Boston as a racist city. We had to show different. We had to be different. Boston is the definition of what America is [in terms of diversity]," said Dan Donahue, a member of the tourism bureau’s board.

Boston hits back at ESPN for promoting Derek Jeter's documentary in front of Fenway Park

Derek Jeter recently released a documentary titled "The Captain," which is a biography of his time at the Yankees. ESPN chose to promote the seven-part docuseries outside Fenway Park.

Randy Wilkins, who directed “The Captain,” posted an image of the billboard with the caption:

“This is currently outside of Fenway Park,” Wilkins wrote. “GO YANKEES. #TheCaptain Shout out to ESPN marketing for the placement.”

It must be said that the city of Boston gave a fitting reply to Jeter and ESPN. During Jeter's time, the "Bronx Bombers" and the Red Sox were in a heated rivalry. Jeter was a primary figure in the 2003 ALCS, denying Boston their first World Series appearance in 17 years and first in 86 years. However, the "Beantown" team returned the following year, winning the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees and eventually the World Series.