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Derek Jeter delivered an opening speech at the University of Michigan on Saturday and talked about the importance of fighting through failure.
The New York Yankees legend will play baseball in Michigan and if he didn't immediately serve as a first-round draft pick in 1992, he called home in Kalamazoo.
Jeter received an honors degree from Michigan, where he spoke with hundreds of graduate students and used his own failure in the message he gave to the class.
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Derek Jeter ahead of the 93rd MLB All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 11, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
"Failure is essential," he said. "If I can assure you one thing, you will fail. The greater the dream, the greater the risk. But if you don't take the risk, the greater the price - if you don't commit to your dream? You may end up over-matching, or you may not."
When Jeter decided to go to a professional player, it didn't go well in the minor league.
"I failed publicly, I failed. I cried for a few days because I was terrible. I made 56 mistakes in my first season as a professional. It's hard to do it intentionally for non-softball fans," Jeter said. "It's not interesting either."
Jeter's battle in adversity is resolved in the long run.
Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter at a press conference on December 21, 2022 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
He joined the major leagues in 1995, and the rest is history. Jeter brings together a Hall of Fame career while becoming one of the most accomplished players in American sports.
But if he let failure define his identity on the diamond, he wouldn't have gotten there.
That's what he's preparing his career life for Michigan students.
Derek Jeter speaks at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on September 8, 2021. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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"You, me, each of us has to learn to deal with failures," Jett said. "If there is no failure, I will not succeed. It is your job to make sure that the speed bumps don't become a barrier."
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