Jeter: My 'ultimate goal' is to own an MLB team

For two decades, he was the Captain. Now he wants to be the boss.

Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees icon whose storied, 20-year career came to a ceremonious end back in 2014, said Wednesday his "ultimate goal" is to own a Major League Baseball team.

"In my mind, this is the greatest sport in the world," Jeter said during an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box.

Jeter, who reportedly explored buying the NFL's Buffalo Bills when the club went up for sale in 2014, suggested baseball's popularity is waning among youths and noted that a key motivation for purchasing an MLB club would be to help the game grow.

"I think baseball is taking somewhat of a back seat to some of the other sports," Jeter said. "Some of the other sports are the sexy sports."

"I think kids, nowadays they look at players playing in college and the next year they're in the NFL or the NBA," he said. "Baseball, you sort of get lost, because you have to play in the minor leagues for a little bit. Kids in this generation are into instant gratification."

Jeter, now 41, has undertaken a number of different business ventures in recent years - he started a publishing imprint, Jeter Publishing, founded The Players' Tribune, and serves as a brand development officer for Luvo, Inc. - but owning a ballclub remains his top post-playing career objective.

"Baseball in my opinion mimics life," Jeter said. "It's every day. It's 162 games, plus 30 games in spring training, plus the postseason. There's a lot of work that goes into it."