The New York Yankees logo. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF LOUGHLIN / ROBOFLOW UNIVERSE
Ben Staker
Sports Editor
On the morning of Friday, Feb 21, the New York Yankees made a move that stunned many people in the baseball industry. No, it wasn’t a trade, free agency signing, or even bringing in a new coach…it was an “alteration” to their long-standing policy that prevented all members of the organization from growing facial hair below the lips.
In a statement posted on the New York Yankees official X account, @Yankees, the team said “We will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward.”
This will be the first time since the 1976 season that the Yankees allow their players to grow facial hair. What makes this announcement so shocking is that it was made in silence. There weren’t any rumors the team was looking to change their policy until the news finally broke.
According to Bryan Hoch, a long-time Yankees reporter for MLB.com, Yankees star pitcher, Gerrit Cole, told him that General Manager Brian Cashman told the team “We’re not trying to look like Duck Dynasty.”
The other key thing to highlight from the Yankees press conference after the announcement this morning is a comment from Yankees owner, Hal Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner told the media today that it would be “very, very concerning” if a player the team wanted to acquire decided not to play for the team because of its policy.
With the change to the facial hair policy, the Yankees have made it clear that they’re trying to usher in a new era of baseball for the entire organization. Many have been critical of the policy over the years, but that can no longer be the case.
As a fan of major league baseball, I think this is a great move for the team. As the team’s owner Steinbrenner mentioned, it would be concerning if the team missed out on players because of their rule. While the effects of this change won’t be immediately felt since spring training is already underway, it could play a big role in players the team acquires in trades at the deadline and free agents they sign in the future.
This move is great for both the Yankees and Major League Baseball because it could help one of, if not the most, prominent sports franchises in the entire world become more competitive than they have been in recent years.