The clean-shaven era of the New York Yankees is officially coming to an end. The storied baseball franchise is adjusting its appearance policy to allow "well-groomed beards," a stark departure from the strict grooming standards many players have been adhering to for nearly half a century. According to ABC7NY, Hal Steinbrenner, who has the reins of the team passed down from his father George Steinbrenner, proclaimed this change before the team's spring training opener today.
In a move to finally embrace change, the Yankees' management has clearly decided to get with the times. "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," Hal Steinbrenner stated, in an interview obtained by ABC7NY. He added that the feedback is part of "ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years." Stubborn policy traditions, it seems, must sometimes eventually give way to modern expectations.
The original anti-facial hair decree was set down by the elder Steinbrenner in 1976 and has since been an identifying trait even beyond their pinstripes. The CBS News report highlights the severity of the policy, recalling how as recently as this Monday, players were still being reminded to arrive clean shaven for photo day. It brings into memory former outfielder Johnny Damon's compulsory trim in 2005 when he joined the Yankees, a narrative that seemed to symbolize the old regime's rule.
However, winning continues to be the lodestone for the team's decisions, as Steinbrenner mused during a news conference. "Winning was the most important thing to my father," he told CBS News. He shared that his father might have been willing to quickly adapt the policy if he thought it could potentially prevent the team from signing a valuable player. The implicit idea being that sometimes you have to tilt tradition to maximize competitiveness and player satisfaction.
