Who Made Whom?

Sure, I may have some deep-seated hatred towards Derek Jeter because he lives out my childhood dreams on a daily basis, but who doesn't share that hatred? Beyond that, I like the guy. However, based on how much money he's asking for he seems to think he made the Yankees. He seems to think that the Yankees owe him more than they've already given him and are willing to give him for the rest of his career.

Of course, Jeter has done a lot for the Yankees. He helped to pull them out of their irrelevance of the early 90's and was part of making them a championship team again. He has been the face of the franchise for well over a decade. But, he's also been paid handsomely for it. He wasn't doing them a "solid" by performing well everyday and representing the team with pride and integrity. He wasn't doing it for the free uniform and the all-you-can-eat sunflower seeds.

On top of the millions and millions that the Yankees have directly paid him, simply being a Yankee has also done quite a lot for him. Their aura and history have a lot to do with the millions in endorsements. That brand was built and grown long before he got there. That instantly recognizable logo on his hat pretty much made him the ubiquitous figure that he is. Had he been drafted by San Diego he'd still have been a well-known All-Star, but he'd also still have two names.

Plus, let's not forget about the hundreds of millions they've spent surrounding him with the best team money can buy.

So, if Jeter (and his agent, of course) is just strategically asking high and then taking what he can get, that's fine. I have no problem with someone trying to get as much money as possible. But, if he thinks the Yankees owe him more than market value due to services rendered then he might need to ask himself a question: Who made whom?

When it comes down to it, finishing his career as a Yankee is much more important to Jeter than it is to the organization. Undoubtedly, the Yankees would take a public relations hit if he went away, but the stain of finishing his career elsewhere would stay on Jeter much longer than it stayed on the Yankees.