When it comes to two-sport athletes, only a select few have reached the pinnacle in multiple professional sports like Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders. Ken Griffey Jr. is charting a different course, excelling as a sports photographer while basking in his baseball legacy.
After a Hall of Fame career where he hit 630 home runs and made 13 All-Star appearances, Griffey has embraced photography as a second career. He is now making waves in the sports world through this new calling. After covering the Tokyo Series and photographing the Major League Baseball season opener in Japan, he is currently at Augusta, working the tournament for Masters.com.
During an interview with the Masters YouTube channel, Griffey discussed his transition from athlete to photographer. He explained that his journey into photography was inspired by his daughter. “It was actually the only way I could see my kids. I was still playing, and I understand what my dad felt like coming to watch me play,” Griffey Jr. remarked. “Now with social media, it’s a little different. ‘Oh Ken’s here.’ My daughter literally stopped dribbling a basketball and just looked at me when she was 5. I realized I needed to pay more attention.”
“I figured nobody’s messing with the photographer. Let me pick it up. I got a couple photographer friends who sent me cameras and lenses and just said, ‘here you go’—without any instructions, except not to put it on auto,” he added.
Interestingly, Griffey Jr. isn’t alone in this venture, as Randy Johnson has also pursued photography as a second career. However, it’s probably more beneficial for Masters patrons that it’s Ken Griffey Jr. roaming the grounds instead of the Big Unit, considering it might be a bit hard to see past the 6’10” pitcher.
