DeSantis reveals pursuit of MLB front office career was derailed over 9/11: 'I felt a calling to serve'
DeSantis is a Republican presidential contender for 2024
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of the top contenders for the Republican nomination for president going into the 2024 election cycle but he revealed in a recent interview that being a politician wasn’t initially on his radar.
DeSantis appeared on "OutKick the Show" on Tuesday and told host Clay Travis he was planning a future in the front offices of a Major League Baseball team before the 9/11 terror attacks changed everything.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at the Christians United for Israel summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"So, I was realistic about that but my plan on doing law school was to try and do baseball on the business side and the front office or something like that," DeSantis said.
"But then 9/11 happened and so I ended up joining the Navy. I felt a calling to serve. I wanted to volunteer so I served in Iraq. I served in all these places. And then that just kind of took me in a different path.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An American flag is displayed during the national anthem prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2023. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
"But had that not happened, I think I would have gone into baseball and been involved on that side of the house (in the front office)."
DeSantis added that he would have played baseball for as long as he could before focusing on his career off of the field. He said it was one thing to be really good in Little League and solid in college but playing in the majors and vying for a spot on a 26-man roster among 30 MLB teams is incredibly difficult.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023, in South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
The Florida Republican also spoke to Travis about Disney and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other topics.