Times are changing for the formerly buttoned-up New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are finally joining the rest of us in the 21st century.
People like to wear beards on their faces these days, especially multimillionaire professional athletes, guys that sweat and cover themselves in dirt and grass for three hours a night. They like to indulge in such decadence as long hair, too. So, it’s about time the Yankees allow their own players to choose their own look.
Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner announced last week that the team is finally evolving from its long-standing policy of requiring players to cut their hair and report to work clean-shaven. They will now allow “well-groomed beards” — which alone has a chance to be a little buttoned-up for the players’ liking — but it’s still a striking policy change for a club that was always well-known for their players’ business-like appearance.
Millennial fans may remember when former A’s slugger Jason Giambi signed with the Yankees in 2002, and famously shed his long hair and goatee for the corporate look. I like to call it “soulless,” personally. Even corporate people sport beards, these days. Giambi also shed the steroids, which didn’t seem to help his game, and the Yankees didn’t win a World Series until after his departure in 2009.
The Yankees are also (somewhat) doing away with one of their game day traditions: according to Pete Caldera at USA Today, they will stop playing Frank Sinatra’s iconic “New York, New York” after losses at Yankee Stadium. The song will still play after wins, but the club expects to rotate through different songs to play after losses.
Frankly, the Red Sox could take a cue from the Yankees when it comes to their traditional playing of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth inning. It’s fine if the good times actually do seem so good, but maybe if the Sox are losing at the time – especially if they’re getting killed – it would be better to play something else. Something geared toward being down and building yourself back up. A celebratory good time tune like “Sweet Caroline” has never worked when played during decidedly bad times.
But back to the Yankees. It’s going to be a tad jarring to see Yankees players with long hair and beards, at first. But soon enough, they will be accepted as a team that’s finally out of the 1950s and joining the rest of the civilized world in 2025.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
