After forbidding facial hair for 49 years, the New York Yankees announced they will now allow it for players and other uniformed personnel.
The stunning decision was revealed in a statement Friday by team owner Hal Steinbrenner in which he confirmed that, after speaking to a “large number of former and current Yankees,” the team is amending its longstanding facial hair policy.
From here on, Yankees players will be allowed to don well-groomed beards and mustaches.
After nearly five decades of banning facial hair, the Yankees made the right call. The decision to ban facial hair to begin with always felt forced and unnecessary.
Maintaining a uniformed look can add a level of professionalism to a team, but the rule against facial hair essentially only limited self-expression.
Over the years, players who sported long hair or beards were forced to take a trip to their stylist or barber after joining the Yankees. Notably, when outfielder Johnny Damon signed with the team in 2006 after growing out his hair and beard with the Boston Red Sox, he knew he would have to kiss his long locks and facial hair goodbye.
“Mr. Steinbrenner has a policy and I’m going to stick to it,” Damon said at the time, referencing longtime team owner George Steinbrenner, who died in 2010.
The ban on facial hair has also cost Yankees at least one free agent. Former All-Star closer Brian Wilson told general manager Brian Cashman in 2013 that he would not shave his signature beard to come to the team. (He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.)
With the outdated rule now a thing of the past, all players, regardless of facial hair style, can join the Yankees without fear of changing their look.
