All the hair talk surrounding the New York Yankees has been going on for too long and now it’s time to let it go.
This off-season, the New York Yankees and their fans had two main items to focus on: the youth movement and the hair.
While one clearly should hold more priority over the other, all the talk was still about the hair. Especially when it came to Clint Frazier, the hair became the signature attribute in which he was recognized by.
The Yankees have their hair policy, one that has been in place for several years. Established by George Steinbrenner in 1973, the Yankees have held true to that policy up until today. According to the policy, the hair must be trimmed above the collar of their jersey. Forget about beards as well because those are completely banned.
Now everyone is calling for the Yankees to change it, calling it “old-fashioned” and “ridiculous.” Yes, it is a little ridiculous. However, it should not be the primary focus heading into the season.
Fans have let these recent developments take over their headlines. Screw Gary Sanchez crushing home runs. Who cares about Greg Bird coming back from shoulder surgery to become one of the hottest hitters this spring?
Clearly, no one, because all they’re focused on is one policy in the Yankees organization.
The Yankees franchise is one rich in tradition. That hair policy, whether you like it or not, is one of those time-tested traditions. The idea of the hair rule is to keep the classy appearance that the Yankees have carried with them for years.
It adds a sense of professionalism to a sport that is known as America’s pastime. Despite people’s hesitancies towards it, the uproar over the appearance policy is doing nothing but serving as a distraction from the game and the players themselves.
Think about it, practically every article written about Clint Frazier focuses on his appearance. That flowing hair seems to be the focus of discussions about Frazier. For a guy who is working incredibly hard to get to the Major Leagues, do you think he wants to have people noticing him solely for his hair?
Even though it is gone now, it’s seemingly still a topic of conversation. What about Frazier’s .286 average for his first year at Yankees spring training? What about his speed in the outfield?
This is the last you’ll ever hear me talking about the hair policy for the Yankees because, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean A THING.
As my colleague, Christian Kouroupakis, discussed in his report about Frazier’s haircut, Frazier was the one who claimed his hair served as a distraction, not the Yankees organization. So, no, it’s not the Yankees’ fault that Frazier’s locks got snipped. It was Frazier’s decision.
Let’s stop making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. It shouldn’t be about appearances, it should be about the game. The more people start focusing on appearance rather than talent, the more people are proving that society is so focused on looks as the necessary ingredient to be recognized.
Clint Frazier still has hair. Brett Gardner has no hair. Jacoby Ellsbury is probably losing hair. Why does it even matter? Why does their hair affect how they play baseball?
That’s right. It doesn’t. So why are we still talking about this?
It’s time to put to bed the discussion about hair and start focusing on the game. I guarantee you, talking baseball is a whole lot more fun than what everyone is talking about right now.