Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

After 50+ Years Yankees FINALLY Get Rid Of Facial Hair Policy

A 2026 free agent, Cousin Itt  could now sign a Yankee contract. First he must clarify is that is facial or head hair.

After more than 50 years of enforcing a no long hair or beards policy, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said on February 21, 2025  they would discontinue the facial hair ban.

Seven years ago we told the complete fascinating, tangled story of how George Steinbrenner implemented his no long hair or beards rule and the controversies that erupted since then.

Some media outlets are saying the ban started in 1976. It did not. The ban began in 1973 immediately upon George Steinbrenner’s purchase of the Yankees. Steinbrenner died in 2010 and the ban lived on.

When we pointed out in our story that the policy was ridiculous in this day and age and should be put on the shelf, we never thought it would vanish as long as the Steinbrenner family runs the team. It was one of the bizarre ways of honoring George Steinbrenner’s legacy.

But, alas, we were wrong and the player’s can now supposedly sport beards. Long hair?

The players should not push it yet.

The Yankees’ new edict says that players will be allowed to have “well-groomed beards,” without providing specifics. The team said players could grow their hair to no longer than collar length. Essentially this policy retains half of George Steinbrenner’s rule.

The reason for the lifting of the ban was simple – acquiring trade prospects or free agents.

Hal Steinbrenner said, “If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire, to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here, and if he had the ability to, would not come here because of that policy, as important as it is to that generation, that would be very, very concerning,”