New York Yankees Can Now Grow Beards
2025-03-14



A top professional American baseball team recently announced it would change a long-held rule about its players' appearance.

The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards, or facial hair that covers the cheeks and chin.

Former team owner George Steinbrenner banned beards in 1976. His son, and current owner, Hal Steinbrenner, announced an end to the ban in late February. Hal Steinbrenner called the former policy "outdated."

"This generation, the vast majority of 20, 30s-into-the-40s men in this country have beards," Steinbrenner told reporters at a news conference. "It is a part of who these younger men are. It's part of their character," he added.

Steinbrenner noted that he, himself, had never worn a beard and found it difficult to relate to the desire to have one. But, he said, the ban seemed "somewhat unreasonable."

His father, George Steinbrenner announced the policy during spring training in 1976, ordering no long hair or beards. Mustaches, hair directly below the nose, were permitted.

"My dad was in the military. He believed that a team should look in a disciplined manner," Hal Steinbrenner said. "Very important to my father, but again (for) my father, nothing is more important than winning and that's in the back of my mind."

Hal Steinbrenner succeeded his father as controlling owner of the Yankees in November 2008. He said he had considered the beard issue for the last 10 years and discussed the possible change recently with Yankee star players Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole.

There are conditions attached to the new beard policy, however. In a statement, Hal Steinbrenner described permissible beards among players and other Yankee employees as "well-groomed."

I'm Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press produced this report. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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vast -n. very great in extent, size, amount, degree, or intensity

character -n. the group of qualities that make a person who they are

disciplined -adj. marked by or possessing discipline, control gained by enforcing obedience or order.

manner -n. a characteristic or customary mode of acting

groom -v. to make neat or attractive