TAMPA, Fla. — If he so wishes, Aaron Judge may now look like Gandalf.
On Friday, the New York Yankees announced they are amending the club’s long-standing facial hair policy, a directive that had been in place for nearly 50 years. The restriction, formally implemented in 1976 by then-owner George Steinbrenner, forbade players from sporting any hair below the collar or facial hair below the lip. According to the statement released by the team, Yankees players may have “well-groomed beards moving forward.”
Inside the stadium that bears his father’s name, current Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner conducted a midmorning media conference to explain some of the rationale behind his decision.
“I did make the decision that the policy that was in place was outdated,” the clean-shaven scion told members of the media. “Given how important it is to that generation and given that it is the norm in this world today, that was somewhat unreasonable, so I made the change.”
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The societal connotations associated with facial hair have fluctuated wildly throughout American history. All but two presidents — Andrew Johnson and William McKinley — had beards or mustaches between 1861 and 1913. Then beards fell out of fashion in high society during the rise of the hippie movement in the 1960s and ‘70s, which undeniably played a role in George Steinbrenner’s decision to implement a clean-cut look for his ballclub.
“I’m trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline in the ballclub,” Steinbrenner, who attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana as a youth, told the New York Times in 1978. “Because I think discipline is important in an athlete.”
Forty-six years later, the younger Steinbrenner framed his own decision in a similar light. He, like his father, wants the Yankees to win baseball games.
“If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here … would not come here because of that policy … that would be very, very concerning,” he said. “I am fairly convinced that’s a real concern.”
It’s a sentiment that holds water. While most players are content with shaving upon joining the Yankees, a non-zero number of former Yankees have voiced frustration with the policy. Notably, all-world closer Devin Williams, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December, arrived bearded for his physical last week. Reluctantly, he shaved the following day, the official start of Yankees spring training.
On Friday, Williams’ usual look was already peeking back out. He told Yahoo Sports that he’s glad about the change and that Steinbrenner listened to player feedback.
The news, a surprise to most of the current players, was generally well-received within the Yankees clubhouse. Catcher Austin Wells, a particularly hairy fellow, seemed overjoyed that he’ll no longer need to meticulously monitor his hirsuteness. The 25-year-old, whose upper lip is blanketed by a dark bushy mustache, admitted to shaving “five to six” times a week in order to maintain a relatively clean-shaven appearance on his cheeks.
“I can’t imagine how many razors he goes through,” pitcher Carlos Rodón joked of Wells.
Rodón, who pitched with a beard during stints in Chicago and San Francisco, explained to Yahoo Sports that shaving became part of his routine after he joined the Yankees. The left-handed starter would shave immediately after his start day, let a few tufts of scruff peek in during the five-day interim and then shave again after his next outing. Rodón, an offseason beard-haver, confirmed that he’ll take advantage of the new rule.
Ace Gerrit Cole, one of the game’s top pitchers, also had a beard before he signed with the Yankees in December 2019. A lifelong Yankees fan, Cole said he appreciates the old rule and its role in upholding the tradition of the franchise. At the same time, he likes the loosening of the guidelines and admitted he’ll probably shave less moving forward, while staying within the “well-groomed” lines.
“The only information we were offered [about the rules] from Cash [Yankees GM Brian Cashman] was that we’re not trying to look like Duck Dynasty,” Cole relayed.
Throughout the years, some Yankees players pushed the boundaries of the restriction. In 1991, club legend Don Mattingly, frustrated with ownership’s lackadaisical attitude toward improving the roster, grew his curls out to his shoulders. He was punished with a one-game benching before he agreed to a haircut. Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, both of whom were in Tampa with beards as guest instructors on Friday, were infamous for showing a good deal of 5 o’clock shadow.
Also, many players have immediately grown beards upon leaving the Bronx. That includes former second baseman Gleyber Torres, who joined the Detroit Tigers this offseason after seven years with the Yankees.
Yet the now bygone Yankees rule was not the only example of a facial hair policy in professional baseball. The Cincinnati Reds had such a practice for most of the 20th century, though the program was strictly enforced starting in the mid-1960s. Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, proprietor of perhaps the greatest mustache in sports history, once had a contract with the Reds scuttled over his refusal to shave. Cincinnati abolished its rule in 1999.
Ironically, Mattingly himself instituted a clean-shaven policy when he took over as Miami Marlins manager in 2016. That rule, resoundingly disliked by Marlins players, was repealed at the season’s end.
Still, the Yankees’ policy was by far the most well-known, and its abolishing is a significant moment in the history of baseball’s most famous franchise. For decades, the Yankees, who have not won a World Series since 2009, maintained control over the appearance of their forward-facing employees. The edict represented and reinforced the ethos of exceptionalism that permeates through all corners of Yankee Land. It served as a constant, unavoidable reminder that baseball in the Bronx was a different experience, that Yankees players were held to a different standard.
Steinbrenner’s willingness to adapt to the shifting sands is a recognition of reality. Times have changed. The Yankees can no longer rely on their aura, their tradition of excellence and their bottomless caches of cash to nab top free agents. Every advantage — and disadvantage — matters.
In other words: Players care about tradition, but they care about winning more, much more.
An hour before first pitch of New York’s spring training opener on Friday afternoon, the impact of the rule change could already be seen in the home clubhouse. Yoendrys Gómez, a Venezuelan pitcher with 13⅓ career MLB innings, emerged from the bathroom with a visibly dark outline of scruff. A teammate passed by, offering Gómez a hearty congratulations on the new look.
The pitcher, wearing a Yankees T-shirt and the club’s trademark pinstripe pants, smiled back as he playfully rubbed his chin.
