New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter has outlined his business plans since hanging up his boots in a newly released interview.
Jeter was a guest on "Today with Hoda and Jenna" discussing his new lifestyle post-retirement and how he has been plying his trade with some of the best entrepreneurs in town. He said:
"So we launched Arena Club. I had a great conversation with my partner, CEO, and co-founder Brian Lee, who's had a very successful entrepreneurial career. He's built a lot of successful businesses and talking to him it took about 5 minutes to understand that he is passionate about the trading card industry. Anytime you're building a business, you should be passionate about what you're building. What we're trying to do is build a community."
The Hall of Famer co-founded Arena Club, an online trading card platform that launched last week. Jeter grew up collecting baseball cards and remains optimistic about the future of the hobby. After his final appearance for the Yankees on September 28, 2014, the five-time World Series winner also featured in TV commercials for Gatorade, Nike, Gillette and Subway among others.
Derek Jeter makes shock decision to step down as CEO of the Miami Marlins
Derek Jeter became part owner and CEO of the National League’s Miami Marlins franchise in 2017. He held a 4% stake in the franchise. However, he shocked the MLB world when he announced that he would be stepping down as CEO and stakeholder of the franchise. In an official statement back in February this year, he said:
"Today I am announcing that the Miami Marlins and I are officially ending our relationship and I will no longer serve as CEO nor as a shareholder in the Club. We had a vision five years ago to turn the Marlins franchise around, and as CEO, I have been proud to put my name and reputation on the line to make our plan a reality."
He earned $5 million annually during his five-year tenure as the CEO of the Miami Marlins. The franchise did not enjoy much success during that time, with only one appearance in the National League Division Series in 2020. They eventually lost 3-0 to the Atlanta Braves.
The Marlins are valued at $990 million, according to Forbes. However, that price is far from the $1.2 billion valuation, when Derek Jeter entered the fray in 2017. Additionally, the team’s revenue dropped to a whopping $96 million in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.