Petty placement at its finest.
ESPN has been busy promoting Derek Jeter’s new forthcoming docuseries, “The Captain,” and apparently placed a promotional billboard right outside Fenway Park in Boston.
Was this the network spreading awareness, or a plot to troll Red Sox fans at their own ballpark?
Randy Wilkins — director of the seven-part documentary premiering July 18 on ESPN — took to Twitter Sunday to share a photo of the billboard, which features Jeter’s smiling face alongside white text.
“This is currently outside of Fenway Park,” Wilkins wrote. “GO YANKEES. #TheCaptain Shout out to ESPN marketing for the placement.”
Red Sox fans can’t be thrilled about seeing the rival shortstop smiling from ear-to-ear near Fenway Park — where the Yankees legend played the last game of his MLB career in Sept. 2014.
Derek Jeter tips his cap during the final game of his career at Fenway Park Getty Images“The number of middle fingers it must be getting,” one person tweeted, adding a crying-laughing emoji. ESPN+ also tweeted the photo of the billboard with a pair of eyeball emojis.
In 144 career games at the rival Fenway Park, Jeter hit .266/.326/.374 with 14 home runs — his second-lowest batting average in any ballpark in which he has 100 at-bats.
Jeter — who turned 48 last month — attended the premiere of “The Captain” at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, and walked the red carpet with his model wife, Hannah Jeter (née Davis). At the time, Hannah shared a photo of the couple at the premiere on Instagram, where she gushed over her husband.
“The Captain” tells the story of Jeter’s life and Hall of Fame career on and off the field.
“We set out on a journey to discover the man behind the iconic Yankees No. 2 jersey,” Wilkins said. “The series gives insight into a Hall-of-Fame baseball career, but more importantly, we reveal a person who sits at multiple intersections of American culture. ‘The Captain’ is a story about race, media, celebrity culture, and the insatiable drive to be the best version of yourself.”
The docuseries includes extensive candid interviews with Jeter, along with his family and dozens of teammates, rivals and observers — including his wife, Roger Clemens, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Willie Randolph, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Darryl Strawberry, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, as well as hip hop artists Fat Joe and Jadakiss.
