New York Yankees appearance policy

Beginning in 1976, the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) maintained a strict appearance policy, specifying that players' hair must not touch their collars and that they may have mustaches but no other facial hair. The policy came from then-franchise owner George Steinbrenner, who believed that regulating his players' appearance would instill a sense of discipline. Steinbrenner began noting which players he believed needed haircuts when he took over the Yankees in 1973, but the policy was not codified until three years later. Steinbrenner's policy remained in place after his death, and led to a number of dramatic appearance changes for players who come to the Yankees from other teams, such as Oscar Gamble, as well as pushback from players who prefer long hair and beards. In 1991, Don Mattingly was taken out of the Yankees' lineup for a day when he refused to cut his hair.

Most teams did not formally adopt any grooming or personal appearance policies until the 1970s, as earlier social customs meant that players were generally clean-shaven. This changed in 1972, when members of the Oakland Athletics, led by Reggie Jackson, formed The Mustache Gang. After that point, individual managers began to tighten or relax their teams' grooming standards as they saw fit. Steinbrenner's policy was inspired by that of the Cincinnati Reds, who forbade their players from growing facial hair between 1967 and 1999, when Greg Vaughn petitioned Marge Schott to rescind the rule. Former Yankees Mattingly and Joe Girardi have twice attempted to institute a similar policy on the Florida/Miami Marlins, but restrictions on that team have since loosened.

The Yankees' policy was criticized by sportswriters as outdated, and by marketing officials for limiting the self-expression of players, thus also limiting their personal brands. Players such as Andrew McCutchen and Clint Frazier critiqued the policy after leaving the Yankees, while both Brian Wilson and David Price voiced their refusal to join the team as long as the appearance policy remained in place. The policy was amended in 2025 to allow "well-groomed beards", by order of Hal Steinbrenner.