The days of beardless New York Yankees are over. Friday morning chairman Hal Steinbrenner announced he is altering the team’s longstanding facial hair policy that was instituted by his father. The Yankees will allow “well-groomed beards” moving forward. Previously, Yankees players were not allowed to wear hair below the lips. Mustaches were OK. Beards were not. Now, they are.
Here is Steinbrenner’s statement on the team’s new facial hair policy:
“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees — spanning several eras — to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback. These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years. Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”
The winds had begun to blow in the direction of eliminating the facial hair policy in recent years. Hal Steinbrenner suggested he would consider changing it several times, and former players have spoken out against it. Privately, current players gripe about it. Nearly five decades after the policy was put in place, it is now being changed.
The beard ban was officially implemented by the late George Steinbrenner in 1976, though the seeds were first planted when he purchased the team from CBS in 1973. Popular Yankees like Sparky Lyle and Thurman Munson wore beards when Steinbrenner purchased the team. Munson had a full beard on his 1976 Hostess card. He won AL MVP later that year.
The facial hair policy was put in place soon after Munson was photographed for that year’s card. The policy is said to have been strongly influenced by Steinbrenner’s military background, though it was also no secret he did not want his players to wear their hair in the style of the era. The policy was put in place to eliminate long hair, afros, etc.
“I have nothing against long hair, per se, but I’m trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline in the ballclub, because I think discipline is important in an athlete,” Steinbrenner told The New York Times in 1978. “The players can joke about it, as long as they do it. If they don’t do it, we’ll try to find a way to accommodate them somewhere else. I want to develop pride in the players as Yankees. If we can get them to feel that way and think that way, fine. If they can’t, we’ll get rid of them.”
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Although players complained both publicly and privately, the facial hair policy was largely abided by during its existence. Typically the players themselves policed the policy, with team captains like Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge leading by example more than vocally. On occasion, the manager would get involved, typically when a new player was brought in.
In 1995, the Yankees altered their facial hair policy after trading for the 1993 AL Cy Young winner Jack McDowell. McDowell, Don Mattingly, and others grew goatees and beards. The Yankees started that season 15-24, then beards and goatees were banned and the facial hair policy was reinstalled. They went 64-41 the rest of the way and made the postseason.
“It’s like a slap on the wrist,” Mattingly told the New York Times after the policy was reverted back. “They shouldn’t have changed it in the first place if they were going to take it away.”
Over the years players like Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Gerrit Cole shaved their beards and cut their hair to join the Yankees on lucrative free agent contracts. Others were traded to the Yankees and forced to shave because of a decision they did not make. That includes new closer Devin Williams, who had a beard throughout his time with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Players largely do not like the policy, though they abided by it. In recent years, Hall of Famer CC Sabathia pushed the envelope more than any other player, frequently pitching with a 5 o’clock shadow. No player ever challenged the policy and outright refused to shave, however. The penalty for doing so (benching? fine?) is unknown.
“I’ve told myself since I got drafted that it was a privilege to have to shave. I’ve brainwashed myself into believing that and thinking that,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who wears a beard during the offseason and a mustache during the season, told MLB.com and the New York Daily News on Friday. “It’s always been a conversation (among players), but I don’t think it was ever like, ‘It might happen.'”
The facial hair policy dated back to 1976. It was antiquated, had been for quite some time, and now George’s son Hal has decided to amend it. It’s not gone completely, beards must be well-groomed (most are around the league), and the team still seemingly will not allow players to have hair longer than their collar. But the team’s outdated facial hair policy has been relaxed.
