The New York Yankees are known for having a strict policy about hair, and Andrew McCutchen thinks it’s time to leave the policy in the past.
McCutchen spent 25 games with the Yankees at the end of the 2018 season. When joining the team, he had to shave his beard. He also reflected on the fact that if he had still had dreadlocks at the time, he’d have had to cut those, too — a fact that doesn’t sit well with him.
“Because that was who I was,” McCutchen said on “The Sports Bubble” podcast, via Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “That was how I expressed myself. That’s who made me Andrew McCutchen. That’s how people noticed who I was, it made me unique. I think, especially in this year, the year of 2020, I just feel like these things are, or should be, things that people should take at heart and realize that we have a way of expressing ourselves in different ways.
“I definitely do think it takes away from our individualism as players and as people. We express ourselves in different ways.”
McCutchen added that it was an “honor” to play for the Yankees, but felt there should be “some change” to the policy.
The Yankees’ grooming policy dates back to 1973 under George Steinbrenner’s ownership. Players are prohibited from growing hair past the collar or having facial hair anywhere but the top lip. The policy has been continued by Steinbrenner’s son Hal. It’s become something of a theme for players with long or unkempt hair to get their haircut immediately upon signing with or being traded to the Yankees, though at least one player has actually refused to play there because the policy.
