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Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports
Exactly. He holds the same status and respect without the career = overrated.
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He may have the same fame but I don't think any 'smart' baseball fan out there thinks he's on the same level of Mays and Mantle. Fame wise, he's right there.
If there's a tower of famous American athletes since the early 1980s, Michael Jordan is number 1 by a mile but that next step down will certainly have Jeter. Right now the guy with the highest Q rating in baseball is Bryce Harper. Is he the best player in the league? Of course not, but if he and Trout walk into a bar, he's the guy that non everyday baseball people turn and go, 'WOW THAT'S BRYCE HARPER!'
Jeter had a national farewell commercial by Nike! Who was the last guy to have one of those? Jordan.
I'm not trying to counter the 'Jeter is overrated' argument, folks can throw that out all they want. Just trying to point out that regardless of how his numbers stack up to guys like Mantle and Mays, his fame at the very least matches theirs.