Yankees Grooming Policy Explained: Why Are Players Not Allowed To Have Beard?

The New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) have had a rigorous dress code since 1976, stating that players may have moustaches but no other facial hair, and that their hair may not touch their collars. George Steinbrenner, the franchise owner at the time, created the rule with the hope that enforcing it would instil a sense of discipline in his players.

Yankees Grooming Policy Explained: Why Are Players Not Allowed To Have Beard?

Previously, men’s fashion primarily mandated that hair and facial grooming should always be kept in good condition, but a significant cultural shift that took place in the 1960s and 1970s partially changed how men wore their hair. Baseball star Reggie Jackson and fellow Oakland Athletics players created the Mustache Gang in 1972. Numerous MLB organisations were obliged to modify their own appearance regulations as a result of the group’s prominent exhibition of longer head hair and facial hair.

According to reports, George decided to tighten the reins on his own players’ appearances because of the shift in male grooming practises. The Cincinnati Reds, who had a similar policy prohibiting all facial hair from 1967 until 1999, served as George’s model for his rule.

According to Sports Illustrated, the regulation was changed in later years to say, “Except for religious reasons, no male player, coach, or executive may sport any facial hair other than a moustache, and no scalp hair may be grown below the collar. The wearing of “mutton chops” and long sideburns is not expressly forbidden.”

The Yankees formalized the appearance limitations in 1976 when manager Billy Martin and owner Hal Steinbrenner instituted the “Neatness Counts” policy. The following were the initial rules:

“No beards. No beads. No mutton chops. No long hair. No long stirrups.”

Two years later, Steinbrenner clarified that the ban was not implemented because he disliked long hair, in defense of his unusual regulations. Instead, what he really desired was “trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline.”

Since then, the regulation has been changed. The policy as it has been revised now says:

“All players, coaches, and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. Long sideburns and ‘mutton chops’ are not specifically banned.”

Not everyone has agreed with the rule. The latest example came from former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin. The MLB Network analyst gave his two cents on the matter following the Yankees’ acquisitions of outfielders Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham, calling the rule “whack.”

George Steinbrenner passed away on July 13, 2010, but his daughter Jennifer Steinbrenner, who lobbied for the rule to continue be in place, has ensured that it remains a significant part of the Yankees’ overall image. Fans, athletes, and sports commentators have all voiced their disapproval of the regulation over the years, believing it to be antiquated in the present. As of the time of writing, there are no reported plans to remove the Yankees’ appearance policy any time in the future

 

 

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