"In American sports, we have stars, superstars, and then we have Jordan" - Colin Cowherd asserts Derek Jeter should not be compared to Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan started the trend of athletes releasing documentaries about their careers. Jordan's "The Last Dance" is often cited as the gold standard for sports docuseries. New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter is the latest athlete to have his documentary, and some are already comparing him to Jordan.

However, Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd is not amused by the Jordan-Jeter comparisons. Cowherd discussed the same on "The Herd." He believes there are superstars, and then there is Jordan. The only athlete in the Chicago Bulls legend's level, according to Cowherd, is the great Muhammad Ali.

"Derek Jeter was the guy in that stadium (Yankee Stadium) for a long time," Cowherd said. "When the documentary came on Monday night, people were saying, 'He's overrated! It's not the Michael Jordan documentary!' Can we stop?"

He continued:

"First of all, Michael Jordan is different. In American sports, we have stars, superstars, and then we have Jordan. He's like Ali. He's in a different galaxy. You can't compare him to anyone."

Cowherd also pointed out how Jeter had a Gatorade commericial, while Jordan helped Gatorade become a bigger company. He added that "His Airness" also helped other companies, such as Nike, Hanes and McDonald's, reach new heights.

"Derek Jeter had a Gatorade commercial," said Cowherd. "MJ, they build a whole company around him. So did Nike, and so did Hanes. So did McDonald's."

Cowherd also thinks Jordan's popularity cannot be compared to LeBron James' and Tom Brady'. Jordan's appeal is just different, so he can never be compared with Jeter. Cowherd added that most baseball fans outside New York hate the Yankees.

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Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter are friends

Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan during an MLB game in 2014

Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter are friends and business partners. Jordan and Jeter became friends during the former's time in the minor leagues. They became business partners when Jordan joined Jeter's ownership group that bought the Miami Marlins.

Jordan was present when the New York Yankees retired Jeter's number at Monument Park. In an interview with the YES Network in 2014, "The Captain" talked about his friendship with Jordan:

"We first met when I was in Arizona Fall League, when he was playing baseball," Jeter said. "MJ is like a brother to me. Our relationship has grown throughout the years, and he's like an older brother I never had. We've had a lot of conversations about life and about competing, both on and off the field or court."

When Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year, Jordan was in attendance to support his friend.

Alongside him was New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing and former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. Jeter was part of the Class of 2022, but their induction ceremony was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.