"I failed miserably, days when I cried to sleep" - Derek Jeter gets brutally honest about rookie years in Michigan commencement speech

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was the commencement speaker for the University of Michigan Class of 2025. The event took place at the school's stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Addressing students from the podium, Jeter put weight behind "failure." The former shortstop and five-time World Series champion let the college graduates know that there is no success without failure.

"Failure. Failure is essential. If I can promise you one thing for certain: you will fail," Jeter said. "The bigger the dream, the bigger the risk.

"But what's the price if you don't take the risk—if you don't commit to the dream? You might end up overmatched. But maybe you won't. I failed publicly. I failed miserably. There were days I literally cried to sleep because I was so bad."

Jeter took an example of his own experience playing his first season in the big leagues to remind everyone that failure is a stepping stone to success.

"My first season as a professional, I made 56 errors," Jeter added. "And for the non-baseball fans—that’s hard to do intentionally. And that’s also not funny. But you, me—every one of us—has to learn to deal with failure. I wouldn’t have had the success without the failures. It’s your job to make sure that a speed bump doesn’t become a roadblock."

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Derek Jeter gets honorary degree 33 years after leaving Michigan

Thirty-three years ago, Derek Jeter dropped out of college to enter the 1992 MLB draft. He was selected sixth by the New York Yankees, the team he played his entire life for till 2014.

On Sunday, Jeter revealed that he had received an honorary degree from the University of Michigan. He was given an honorary Doctor of Law degree, which is often given to prominent alumni of the university and doesn't require academic achievement to earn.

“Took longer than I planned since enrolling at Michigan fall of ‘92 to make it to graduation!” he captioned the post. “Thank you @uofmichigan for the honorary Doctor of Laws degree and inviting me to give the commencement speech. Congratulations to the Class of 2025. Go Blue!”

Jeter made Michigan proud by becoming one of the best baseball players for the Yankees. After 20 seasons, Jeter led the Yankees in all-time hits (3,465), doubles (544), games played (2,747), stolen bases (358), times on base (4,716), plate appearances (12,602) and at-bats (11,195).

The first-ballot Hall of Famer's speech on the podium revolved around passion and failure. The combination of both is what he deems as a true ingredients of success.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman