For as much as the New York Yankees are ingrained into the very fabric of baseball and its history, keeping up with the times has become something of a challenge for the game's most iconic franchise. The Yankees have spent much of the time that has elapsed since their last World Series title in 2009 falling short of expectations, including in a 2023 season where they missed the playoffs and barely avoided finishing with a losing record for the first time in three decades.
The Bronx Bombers are now seeking to course correct by adding talent, and they took a major step toward fielding a better roster by pulling off a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto. But in order for the Yankees to attract even more stars from a new generation of baseball, one former Yankee -- MLB journeyman Cameron Maybin -- believes the team would stand to gain from dropping its half-century old policy of forbidding its players from having facial hair.
"This might be an unpopular take to Yankees fans, but you'd be surprised how much more attractive the Yankees would be if they got rid of that facial hair rule," Maybin wrote in a post on X. "You wouldn't believe how many quality players just think it's a wack rule to have. I mean cmon we're coming up on 2024 let that go already, and I swear it would be more appealing. Again this only comes from conversations I've had and experience from actually Playing."
The Yankees' facial hair rules were adopted in the mid-1970s, with then-owner George Steinbrenner and manager Billy Martin forbidding players from having beards, mutton chops or long hair. While many organizations around sports have relaxed such policies over the years, the Yankees' policy remains, meaning their stars -- even in an era where player individuality and expression is emphasized more than ever before -- must be clean-shaven and kept.
Maybin's MLB career included a stop with the Yankees in 2019, when he was brought to New York in a trade with Cleveland. Maybin became a fan favorite, and he joined YES Network as a broadcaster for Yankees games in 2022 following the end of his playing career.
