Former Yankee Andrew McCutchen says the team should change its notorious hair policy because it stifles 'individualism'
- Andrew McCutchen, who played for the New York Yankees in 2018, believes the Yankees should change their famous hair policy.
- The Yankees don't allow male players, coaches, or executives to grow their hair below their collars or grow facial hair besides mustaches.
- McCutchen said on the "Sports Bubble" podcast that the rule stifles "individualism" and is outdated for today's culture.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen believes it's time for the New York Yankees to change their policy on players' hair.
The Yankees famously don't let male players, coaches, or executives wear their hair past their collars or have facial hair besides mustaches.
Speaking on "The Sports Bubble with Jensen Karp" podcast, McCutchen said the rule stifles players' "individualism."
"Those policies — shaving and letting the jersey speak for itself — I definitely do think it takes away from our individualism as players and as people," McCutchen said. "We express ourselves in different ways."
"If I got traded over to the Yankees and they said you gotta shave your hair, for me, that would have been a very tough thing to do. Because that was who I was. That was how I expressed myself. That's what made me Andrew McCutchen."
The exact history of the Yankees' policy is unclear, but it's believed to have been instituted by late owner George Steinbrenner in 1973. Over the years, there have been some players who brushed up against the rules, such as Don Mattingly, who in 1991 refused to cut his long hair and was benched.
However, plenty of other players famous for their hairstyles have conformed to the rule, from Johnny Damon to Randy Johnson. Most recently, star pitcher Gerrit Cole cut his hair and beard after signing with the Yankees in free agency.
Though McCutchen said he enjoyed his time with the Yankees, he believes in 2020, it's time to change the rule.
"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."
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