The ranking is by the Daily News which, given its priorities, I’m shocked A-Rod wasn’t in the top spot, but we’ll leave that go. Their list says Jeter’s only rivals in New York Sports power are James Dolan and Roger Goodell.
Jeter’s attributes of power: his wealth (they cite $265 million in baseball salary alone), his iconic status, his vanity publishing imprint and his popularity. There’s a bone thrown to him maybe being a team owner one day, but given his wealth (great, but not Titan-level) and the price of teams (insanely high), such an ownership would largely be a vanity project too.
So I’m gonna give his number three ranking a big “nope.” He may be the most popular figure in New York sports, but I’m not exactly sure what power he wields. He doesn’t make deals. The Yankees’ deals from here on out (and for some time) are based on his impending absence, not his presence. Maybe you call that power, but it’s pretty indirect. Meanwhile, behind him on the list are people who actually make decisions that directly matter: Bud Selig, Hal Steinbrenner, Phil Jackson, John Mara, Adam Silver Woody Johnson, the Wilpons and a host of other executives who actually make decisions.
Of course, it’s not shocking that the Daily News would mistake glitz and glamour for power.