The New York Yankees altered their infamous facial hair policy Friday to allow well-groomed beards.
“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,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement released by the team.
“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.”
What constitutes a “well-groomed beard” is to be determined.
The Yankees’ original facial hair appearance policy dates back to the early 1970s when Hal’s late father, George, purchased the team.
It dictated that a player couldn’t have hair touching their collar and that a mustache was the only allowable form of facial hair. No other MLB organization has instituted such a policy.
“It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy,” Steinbrenner said in the statement.
However, he told reporters Friday that the policy regarding hair length will remain in place, according to Gary Phillips of New York Daily News Sports.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called the decision a “little bit of an evolution on our part” amid the changing baseball landscape, acknowledging the concerns of players past and present.
“We brought (C.C. Sabathia) here, but (there was hesitance) because of the facial hair situation, because he liked to have that,” he said, per SNY.
“I actually had a non-roster invite discussion this spring where the agent shared back, ‘Well, now he’s just got to decide whether he wants to shave or not.’”
Yankees catcher Austin Wells is unsure how he feels about the change.
“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,” he said, per Phillips.
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