As the New York Yankees seek to win another American League pennant in 2025, they’ll do so with a bit of a new look.
No, the team hasn’t pivoted away from its iconic pinstriped uniforms.
The Yankees have instead altered their strict franchise grooming policy to now allow for “well-groomed beards,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced Friday morning in a statement.
“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, and l appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” Steinbrenner said. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years.
“Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”
Steinbrenner’s father, George, had put the appearance policy in place shortly upon purchasing the ball club in the mid-1970s. George Steinbrenner and manager Billy Martin forbade players from sporting long hair, sideburns and beards on the field.
“I have nothing against long hair (and beards) per se, but I’m trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline in the ball club because I think discipline is important in an athlete,” George Steinbrenner told The New York Times in 1978.
Other MLB teams that had similar beard bans in the past include the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles. But until Friday, the Yankees were the final franchise with a ban still in place.
The strict grooming standards in New York have proven controversial over the years, with various high-profile talents expressing their disinterest in playing for the Yankees as long as the beard ban continued.
However, plenty of star players have sacrificed their facial hair and altered their appearance in order to fetch big money from the Bronx Bombers.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable pre- and post-Yankees transformations over the years.
Gerrit Cole
Randy Johnson
Johnny Damon
Nick Swisher
Rougned Odor
Alex Verdugo
