New York Yankees announced Friday that their players must no longer be shaved.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement that players would be able to hold “well -groomed” beards after discussing the case with current and former players over “several” years.
The rule, which said players could not have facial hair under the lower lip, was created by Hal’s father, George Steinbrenner, in 1976.
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New York Yankee’s TV stations Michael Kay and John Sterling before a game against Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium April 20, 2024 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
Yankee -tv company Michael Kay, who hosts a radio show during the week, called the team’s first spring training of the season and the franchise’s new hair era Friday.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole. [It] A kind of stunned baseball world, ”he said.
One of the main reasons why the team lifted the rule was because it could discourage a player from choosing yanks as a future destination.
“If I have ever found out that a player we would acquire to make us better, to get us a championship would not be here, and if he had the ability it would not come here because of this policy … It would be very, very worrying, “Steinbrenner told journalists on Friday.
Hal Steinbrenner during a press conference at Yankee Stadium. (Jessica Alcheh/USA Today Sports)
Manager Aaron Boone told journalists that he had heard Rumblings about the political change. It should be noted that Vladimir Guerrero Jr., MLB’s next big free agent, has had a beard a majority of his career.
This feeling, Kay said, was his greatest takeaway.
“I think the most narrative that [Steinbrenner] Said is, ‘We won’t ever be in a position where we lose a player that we think can help us win because he didn’t want to come here because of this rule.’ And I think what Yankees did. They came in front of things, ”Kay added.
“And I’ve always speculated, ‘If you want to change the rule, you almost have to change the rule before someone fights back on it. Because if you lost a player who said,’ I won’t go there because I not want to shave, ‘it would look really bad.’
Aaron Judge of New York Yankees in action against Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium 5 September 2022. In New York City. (Jim Mcisaac/Getty Images)
Yankees Hall of Famers CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter have both adult beards since retiring. Players often cultivate facial hair when they leave yankees or during the high season.
