Yankees Shockingly End Longstanding Player Policy
The New York Yankees stood alone among Major League Baseball teams with one specific player-unfriendly policy, which will reportedly end this season.
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J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.Â
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The New York Yankees stood alone among Major League Baseball teams with one specific player-unfriendly policy, which will reportedly end this season.
For as long as men have worn pinstripes and an interlocking "NY" on their hats in the Bronx, the Yankees have not allowed players to sport any facial hair. That ended Friday with one simple yet shocking announcement from team chairman Hal Steinbrenner.
Managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees looks on during a news conference introducing Masahiro Tanaka (not to the media on February 11, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx... Managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees looks on during a news conference introducing Masahiro Tanaka (not to the media on February 11, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
"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."
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.