Sports video games encapsulate many aspects of life. Obviously, video games are a form of entertainment and a fun way to pass the time. The sport element, however, offers a whole new dimension of importance for those who play. We form bonds with our favorite teams and attachments to our favorite players. Jumping into a sports video game allows us the chance to be our favorite players and teams. We get to play in lifelike recreations of the stadiums and arenas that we see on television nearly every day.
That’s why there’s such a level of excitement when new legends are announced in sports gaming. Legends are players long or recently retired, no longer in the perpetual highlights that we consume on a daily basis. No longer in the immediate sphere of sports rhetoric that echoes through offices and inside headphones at the gym. Legends become ingrained into the fabric of their sport’s history and only occasionally bubble to the surface when someone breaks a record or performs a notable feat. You’ll see loyal fans still donning their jerseys to games on a quest to stay connected to their youth. Outside of that, the focus is (rightfully) on today’s stars.
Sports games allow us the chance to mix both worlds, building epic teams of our favorite childhood players and today’s greatest. Derek Jeter’s return to sports gaming is astronomically significant.
Derek Jeter In The Show
Derek Jeter hasn’t been on the cover of a video game since 2008’s mobile-only release Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2008. Before that, Jeter was prominently featured as the regular cover athlete for Acclaim’s All-Star Baseball series through 2005. Jeter’s last console cover appearance was 2K’s MLB 2K7. For a player of Jeter’s status, going 16 years between cover appearances is quite a gap but makes sense considering he’s been retired. But still, with the constant addition of legends over the years it really drives home how important Jeter’s return to gaming truly is.
Within the Show world, Derek Jeter last appeared in MLB The Show 14, which obviously coincided with his final MLB season. That means Jeter has never officially been in The Show as a legend and now becomes one of the biggest additions in history.
The Impact Of Derek Jeter In The Show
Derek Jeter is one of the most iconic players in MLB history. The entrenched Captain of the New York Yankees, Jeter’s MLB career began in 1995 and ended in 2014 with a slew of personal and team achievements in those years. The unquestioned leader of the Yankee’s dynasty in the ’90s, Jeter became the face of not only the New York Yankees, but the city of New York itself. A leader on and off the field, a dedicated professional who never wavered and endeared himself to fans all across MLB.
Jeter’s undeniable track record and omnipotent superstar status made him a nearly unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2020. His induction was inevitable and Derek Jeter now resides amongst the immortals in Cooperstown. Truthfully, with the way he transcends media, life and baseball itself, Derek Jeter sits at the top of baseball’s Mount Olympus.
Look no further than Derek Jeter’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jeter was a guest that night to announce he was the cover athlete for the Collector’s Edition of MLB The Show 23. Over the years, we’ve gotten really fun livestreams or reveals for cover athletes. Those reveals spoke directly to the diehard Show fans who were buying the game no matter what.
Derek Jeter is a transcendental icon who was announced on a popular late-night talk show. The diehard Show fans who woke up to the news the following day were in disbelief. The Captain was finally back in sports gaming. Jeter’s inclusion will undoubtedly move units for SDS. MLB The Show has grown rapidly the last couple years. The multi-platform explosion has significantly increased the user pool and set SDS up for financial success no matter what happens. Derek Jeter being in the game and on the cover of the Collector’s Edition is going to take that steady growth and will almost certainly cause it to increase that much more.
Growing The Game
Think about the types of baseball fans who exist. There are diehards like me, who spend every waking second thinking about or watching baseball. A huge chunk of my personal time is spent playing MLB The Show or writing about it. My time and money is spent on my torrid love affair with baseball. I was already in for The Show 23, but I’m even more excited now.
Then there are casual fans who might buy The Show and play it once in a while. Maybe they catch a couple games throughout the season on TV or attend a couple games at the ballpark. They’re invested in their respective teams and favorite players but don’t fall asleep and wake up thinking about baseball.
There are also lapsed fans. Fans who, for one reason or another, fell out of love with baseball and pay no mind to the game anymore. Maybe they leave a game on in the background or actually try watching with intent once in a while. But that spark that ignites the full-blown fandom many of us possess died out. There’s no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for lapsed fans. Derek Jeter’s star will shine so brightly that lapsed fans will return to baseball.
There are going to be diehard Yankees’ fans who haven’t purchased The Show before who will buy the Captain’s Edition. They’re going to buy the game just to have the Jeter steelbook sitting on a shelf. That by itself is a victory as it’s moving units. But there’s going to be a healthy number of those fans who actually play the game and plenty of them will grow to love The Show. They’ll become addicted to Diamond Dynasty like many of us or fall in love with franchise mode and come back each year.
There are going to be a lot of people who grew up in the ’90s and early ’00s who buy the game because of Derek Jeter. They might not be Yankees’ fans, but they’ll be able to instantly transport back in time and relive nostalgia with Jeter’s inclusion. Fathers and mothers will buy the game because of Derek Jeter, which will lead to them showing the game of baseball to their children.
Derek Jeter’s impact on The Show is also a massively positive impact on the game of baseball itself.
Bottom Line
Video games and multimedia entertainment are commonplace in the world today. This truth will only continue to grow as technology advances and the impact will be seen everywhere.
Derek Jeter isn’t just another player model within the game files of The Show. Jeter is the quintessential catalyst for growing the game of baseball. If the inclusion of any legend inspires a single person to begin watching baseball, that’s a huge victory for everyone involved. Derek Jeter is an icon, The Captain, A-List superstar, and the face of baseball in the ’90s. Jeter’s inclusion will inspire many people to start watching baseball again or for the first time.
The impact of Derek Jeter in The Show will be felt for years.
