Derek Jeter Still Hates His First Trading Card
"I didn't like the picture," Derek Jeter said at Fanatics Fest.
Legendary baseball player Derek Jeter is “still not happy” with the first time he appeared on a trading card.
Speaking to People at Fanatics Fest about launching the online marketplace Arena Club that’s focused on trading cards, Jeter admits his beef with his own comes down to his photo. “I didn't like the picture. I was in my high school uniform and I didn't like the picture.”
After making sure not to “shade” any card companies involved with the photo, Jeter then explains that he still isn’t a fan of it all these years later.
“I’m still not happy if I see it,” he said. He recalled wanting to show his friends, “Look I’m on a card. But then you’re like, ‘No, no.’”
Jeter also expressed the significance of Arena Club for him. He has a personal attachment to sports cards beyond his that he really doesn’t like.
“What really hits home with me is my parents used to always collect my first baseball cards and memorabilia,” he said. “And we had a flood in our house in Michigan, and a lot of it got ruined.”
Remembering what he experienced with his baseball cards, he decided to co-create the Arena Club with Brian Lee, the founder of LegalZoom and The Honest Company. “I thought it was an unbelievable idea,” said Jeter about the marketplace.
Jeter isn’t the only legend revealing awesome stuff at Fanatics Fest. Jay-Z opened a reimagined 40/40 Club pop-up during the sports-themed event, in collaboration with Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin.
The invite-only experience, which runs at the Javits Center until Aug. 18, is a preview of the forthcoming 40/40 club return after its Flatiron District location closed in 2022.
Celebrities and sports legends such as Tom Brady, Carmelo Anthony, Taylor Rooks, Travis Scott, and Quavo pulled up to get a glimpse of the 40/40 club’s new era.
