Derek Jeter, along with other personalities, was taken aback by the announcement of the new facial hair rule for New York Yankees players. The rule, which essentially allows beards starting next season, ends years of prohibition that mandated clean-shaven faces.
Amid the memes and jokes about the new grooming rule, Jeter took the opportunity to post a photo on his personal Instagram, showing himself in a Yankees uniform with a clearly defined beard. It’s worth noting that during his time as an active player, Jeter always maintained a clean-shaven look.
It remains to be seen which players will grow beards, but last season, all starters had clean faces, especially players like Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, who visibly adhered to the rule of prohibition dating back to the 1970s.
In response to this change, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner addressed the media, explaining his decision. “I did make the decision that the policy, that was in place, was outdated.” He added “And given how important it is to that generation, and given that it is the norm in this world today, that it was somewhat unreasonable, so I made the change.”
Yankees’ players already know about it
Steinbrenner emphasized that the players were informed about the new policy during a team meeting on Friday. “I think they understand what my thought process was as well,” Steinbrenner said. “There will be parameters to this, and they know that just as we have parameters to our other policies and guidelines.”
A Tough History Comes to an End
It’s noteworthy that the beard prohibition among Yankees players was established in 1976 by George Steinbrenner as a measure of discipline, something he learned during his time at military academy. Numerous well-known players, including Johnny Damon, were affected by this rule, forcing them to cut their hair and shave their beards.