Derek Jeter talks life and retirement with President Obama

Derek Jeter sat down with President Barack Obama and had an interesting discussion on life, retirement and baseball.

Former New York Yankees shortstop and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter hung up his cleats following the 2014 season.

While Jeter has remained out of the spotlight as of late, he recently sat down with President Barack Obama for a conversation, which was published on The Players’ Tribune.

This is less of an interview and more of a conversation between two iconic individuals. Jeter and Obama talk about how they were when they were younger, which is interesting to hear given how far they have come in their respective fields.

It is sometimes hard to think of how people such as the President of the United States or one of the greatest baseball players of our time were when they were just kids, but it provides for some fun details.

Jeter reflects on how his dad used to brag about his own accomplishments in the game of baseball, which Jeter quickly surpassed at an early age.

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He also talks about a diary he kept during his final season in 2014, and how he regrets not doing the same thing throughout his entire career. It is easy to have that hindsight after retirement, but a MLB rookie who keeps a diary from the outset of his career may be a rare find.

The conversation also humanizes both individuals, who talk about retirement like they are everyday, blue-collar workers deciding to call it quits and start a new journey in life. Obama’s retirement is impossible for most people to relate to, besides other past presidents, but the way he talks with Jeter shows he is just a regular guy who was able to rise to the most powerful position in the country. The same goes for Jeter, who never once gloats or acts like he is better than anybody else.

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The sit-down between the two men is an interesting one and something that sheds light on both individuals being normal people who seized great opportunities in their respective lives.