Derek Jeter Analysis

1350 Words6 Pages
Race has become such a dominating aspect in society. The “All Lives Matter” Movements have brought to spotlight of the injustices of minorities and the division of our nation due to race. Even though companies today are promoting diversity and the transracial ideal by endorsing biracial athletes like Derek Jeter, racial undertones can be felt through the media coverage and advertisements we see every day. Therefore, the transracial ideal embodied by Derek Jeter is not attainable because race has become a defining characteristic through media exploitation and racial framing of minorities, as shown by Barry Bonds and the portrayal of Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger cases. Derek Jeter is a biracial baseball player for the New York Yankees. His athletic abilities, good looks, and charitable personality makes him recognizable and successful in all his pursuits. Although Jeter embodies the transracial ideal, he is just the initial stepping stone for this stance. In the article “Driven: Branding Jeter, Redefining Race” by Roberta Newman, the writer analyzes the two specific endorsements in which Jeter’s biracial identity was not a main feature of the advertisement. Currently having transracial figures like Jeter, is just a trend and marketing tactic. Similar to what Leon Wynter mentions in the article, the transracial ideal sells because it is a “vision of the American dream” and is promoted by someone who was the highest earner in terms of “endorsement dollars” in 2007