New York Yankees Make Historic Update to Facial Hair Policy - E! Online
The New York Yankees recently revised their strict, five-decade policy concerning players wearing facial hair.
Watch : Jason Kelce Offers Up NSFW Explanation for Why Men Have Beards
Razor blades have finally left the Yankee Stadium…well, sort of.
The New York Yankees recently updated one of their oldest aesthetic policies: staff members and players are now allowed to wear “well-groomed beards” on the field.
The MLB team’s owner Hal Steinbrenner confirmed the news in a Feb. 21 statement on Instagram, noting he spoke to “a large number of former and current Yankees – spanning several eras – to elicit their perspectives” on the decades-old grooming policy.
According to the 55-year-old, the reversal of this policy—which was created by his late dad and former owner, George Steinbrenner, in 1976—didn’t happen overnight.
“I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” he explained in the post, adding that those conversations “are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years.”
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The businessman continued, saying, “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.”
Hal confirmed that now’s the greatest time for the team—whose roster ranges from the current Aaron Judge to retired Alex Rodriguez—to “move beyond” his dad’s outdated policy and embrace a new blueprint. According to MLB’s official site, George’s rules banned members from wearing full beards and only allowed mustaches. This rule also stretched beyond facial grooming, as hair on the scalp couldn’t “grow below the collar.”
It’s not clear what inspired the new reversal, but current Yankees player Devin Williams started a viral conversation about the sport’s relationship with facial hair last year.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When Williams was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December 2024, the 30-year-old was photographed joining the New York team with a mustache and extra stubble. He debuted a clean-shaven look earlier this month, but he’s now on board with the new reversal, as he liked the statement post on Instagram.
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