Derek Jeter Unveils New BetMGM Partnership and Recalls Acting Advice Spike Lee Gave Him at 21 (EXCLUSIVE)

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Derek Jeter has been announced as BetMGM’s newest brand ambassador, bringing his flair for gamesmanship and hopefully a little winning streak to the popular sports betting and iGaming operator. As part of the deal, the five-time World Series champ will appear in a new national marketing campaign, dubbed “Legendary Plays,” while making appearances down the road at select VIP fan events. BetMGM Casino will also launch an exclusive Jeter-themed slot game, making the Yankees shortstop the only current or former pro baseball player with his own online casino game.

Jeter is the latest sporting star to join BetMGM’s roster of ambassadors, alongside Barry Sanders, Tim Howard and Wayne Gretzky. After years of making plays on the diamond, Jeter says he was excited to team up with BetMGM to give sports fans a chance to make some plays off the field as well. “I’ve been well aware of everything they are doing to shape the future of sports betting and online casinos,” the Baseball Hall of Famer tells Variety. “I come from being a professional athlete and I’ve seen how gambling and the industry has completely changed over the last ten years or so,” he says, adding, “It’s been kind of fun to watch, because it brings a lot of excitement to the fan base.”

Though he admits he’s not much of a gambler himself — “I would play blackjack, but at the $5 table,” he jokes — Jeter credits sportsbooks like BetMGM with bringing betting into the mainstream, comparing the online wagering platform to fantasy sports.

“The popularity and the excitement I think probably started to take off a little bit when fantasy sports became so huge,” he says. “And I think also the perception changed. It used to be kind of something you did on the sly and you wouldn’t really want to talk to people about it. Now, everyone compares notes and are like, ‘Who are we going to bet on tonight?'”

It’s been more than a decade since Jeter retired from baseball, but that hasn’t slowed down the 14-time All-Star. Jeter launched The Players’ Tribune as an athlete-driven media platform in 2014, and served for four years as CEO of the Miami Marlins from 2017 until 2022. He also makes regular appearances as an analyst on Fox Sports and launched Cap 2 Productions (a reference to his jersey number with the Yankees and role as team captain) in 2024. While others are “sitting down, drinking wine and playing golf” in their retirement years, per Jeter, the 51-year-old says he would “get bored” and need to find something else to do. “There are no signs of me retiring or slowing down,” he says. “If anything, I think I’ve increased the pace.”

Part of his new pace has been building out Cap 2 Productions, with the recent release of a World Series documentary for Apple TV+ called “Fight for Glory,” along with projects with ESPN and The History Channel, among others. While The Players Tribune focused on written articles and short-form video content, Jeter says he’s excited to expand to long-form projects with Cap 2 Productions, teasing more “movies, TV and online content” to come.

The father of four is also eager to create content for all ages and generations. “I have a family now so family-friendly content is something that is important to me,” he says. “A lot of the shows that I watch are kids shows,” he confesses. “I’m ashamed to say it, but we’ll watch TV and then my oldest two go down by eight and I’m usually in bed by nine.”

As for his own acting ambitions: While he was the subject of the 2022 ESPN miniseries, “The Captain,” don’t expect Jeter to be auditioning for roles in Hollywood anytime soon. The baseball legend says it was ironically Spike Lee who shot down any acting aspirations. “One of the perks of playing in New York is you get a chance to meet a lot of people that you grew up admiring, and I was 21 years old when I saw Spike Lee at a game,” Jeter shares. “I said, ‘Spike, when are you going to let me act in one of your movies?’ and he said, ‘Once you act like a shortstop tonight.’ That hit home.” Jeter says. “And I quickly understood my priorities.”

The 2025 Major League Baseball season heads into its halfway point with the All-Star Game this week — now that Jeter is working with BetMGM, does he have a favorite to win the World Series? “That’s a good question,” he says. “I can’t give away that information but tune into Fox,” he chuckles. “We’re going to have to pick a team there pretty soon.”

What about a sleeper team to watch? “I don’t know if they’re a sleeper team, but Detroit’s pretty good,” Jeter offers. “They’ve been playing well and I think they’re a team that not a lot of people know a lot about. Don’t twist this into saying I’m picking the Tigers to win the World Series though,” the star adds, laughing. “I’m just saying they’re really good.”