“What a disgrace!” Stephen A. Smith BLASTS Yankees for focusing on facial hair policy vs. championship wins ahead of 2025 season

Stephen A. Smith goes off on Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman for focusing on the wrong priority ahead of the 2025 season.

“What a disgrace!” Stephen A. Smith BLASTS Yankees for focusing on facial hair policy vs. championship wins ahead of 2025 season

Stephen A. Smith [Image Credit: Sporting News]

Sports journalist Stephen A. Smith dumped cold water on the New York Yankees trending news on facial hair policy. On Friday owner Hal Steinbrenner disclosed that the players will now be free from the decades-old ban on clean-shaven appearance in the wake of the 2025 season.

While the whole Yankees fandom was celebrating the shocking news, Stephen A. Smith was just not having it. Smith has been a long-time die-hard fan of the pinstripes but he expressed utter disappointment with the team focusing on the wrong goals ahead of the new season.

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He was baffled that Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman called for a press conference over 20 minutes to discuss the facial hair policy. The rule to have a clean shave has been in effect since the 1970s and now with the new generation the old rules are finally changing.

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I am pissed! A 20-minute press conference on facial hair? I mean, what a disgrace…You ain’t won a World Series title since 2009. You ain’t been to one since then until last year—you got romped by the Dodgers. And facial hair is a reason there was a press conference?

Stephen A. Smith as per Kristie Ackert of Athlon Sports.com.

However, Smith called out the Yankees for not focusing on winning championship games instead of such a matter. He took a jab when the team lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers last year in five games.

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Hal Steinbrenner

Smith even blasted the team for failing to retain Juan Soto and handing him over to the rival New York Mets for 15 years on a $765 million deal. He criticized Aaron Judge saying he got cold feet in the postseason and failed to do his job as the team’s captain.

Hal Steinbrenner talks about reason for latest Yankees facial hair policy change

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner on Friday noted why the recent change was made saying it was an investment for the future. He fears that there might come a day when a free agent refuses to sign with the team due to this decade-old policy.

Hal Steinbrenner
Hal Steinbrenner [Image Credit: Newsweek]

Many players are indeed very attached to their looks and might not always want to change it completely after signing with a team. This move will help the Yankees acquire players and build a strong foundation for the upcoming games.

If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here—and if he had the ability, would not come here—because of that policy, as important as it is to [past generations], that would be very, very concerning. And I am fairly convinced that’s a real concern.

Hal Steinbrenner as per Tom Dierberger of SI.com.
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Stephen A. Smith

The change was welcomed by all the Yankees fandom. Before making the decision, Steinbrenner spoke with former and current players including pundits of the game. According to Aaron Boone, it was a decision that was thought for several years before getting finalized.