New York Yankees baseball legend Derek Jeter revealed how becoming a father has changed him.
In an interview with “The Today Show,” Jeter, 49, who shares four children with wife, Hannah Jeter, said being a dad “gives a new perspective on what’s most important.”
“Through my career, I was always very selfish, because it was all about me…and then once I retired and got married and had kids, it really put things in perspective,” he continued.
In 1996, the New York Yankees Hall of Famer, who played for the team for 20 years, founded the Turn 2 Foundation along with his father, Charles Jeter, a former drug and alcohol counselor. The foundation’s mission is to “motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol,” per its website.
During the interview, Jeter spoke about his motivation to give back to his community.
“I think when you play you have that platform … for me, for my family, our legacy is what we can do in the community. And we wanted to continue that post-playing career,” he explained.
He continued, “So it’s something that means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family. And we’ll continue it as long as we can get the support that we’ve gotten throughout the years, and we’ve been fortunate because we’ve gotten a lot of support.”
Additionally, Jeter spoke about the impact children make in their own communites.
“Kids are leaders not only in their schools, but in their communities. And I think there’s just another level of importance that you realize, when you start having a family of your own,” he shared.
The former Miami Marlins CEO said he hopes his oldest daughter, 6, will follow in his footsteps and get involved in the Turn 2 Foundation one day. He also shared he hopes his children will experience the same joy he feels when giving back to his community.
Additionally, Jeter said children should experience that “as young as possible.”
He retired from the New York Yankees in 2014.
