Jeter named Beyond Sport ambassador

Jeter named Beyond Sport Ambassador
06/14/2010 12:29 PM ET
By Bailey Stephens / MLB.com

New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter added a new leadership role to his already vast range of philanthropic commitments on Monday and it could be one of his biggest yet.

Jeter was appointed an ambassador to Beyond Sport, a global intiative that aims to use the sports world to enact large-scale positive social change.

"The more we can highlight the important role that sport can play in creating positive social change and show the meaningful benefits it can bring, the more impact we can have on the lives of disadvantaged people all around the world," Jeter said in a written statement.

In his new role, Jeter will be charged with spreading the word about Beyond Sport and the message it promotes, that sports can be a vehicle to a high-impact and far-reaching change. He'll also serve as a judge in the final rounds for the Beyond Sport Award, which annually awards $1 million to the projects that are determined will best use sport to promote results in and around their own communities worldwide. Representing Major League Baseball, Jeter's appointment also shows the league's widespread support for Beyond Sport and its ideals.

"Beyond Sport's outreach is something that I firmly believe in, and I am proud to be able to play my part in helping to achieve those goals," the 11-time All-Star shortstop said.

Jeter joins 23 other world-class athletes and sports executives already working as ambassadors with Beyond Sport, including Olympic gold-medalist Michael Johnson, former women's soccer player Julie Foudy, and chairman of the 2012 London Olympics, Lord Sebastian Coe.

The veteran's newest philanthropic role adds to a long-running list of his commitments to positively impact the community. Among his greatest contributions is his own foundation, Turn 2. Jeter started the foundation, which focuses on turning to baseball as an alternative to drugs and alcohol, in 1996.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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