NOW HAIR THIS!
Could Noah have challenged the Yankees’ policy?
There's no doubt seeing Noah Syndergaard wearing Yankees pinstripes, stripped of his golden locks while standing in front of the famous Stadium facade ticked off Mets fans as they picked up an early December copy of The Daily News.
That photoshopped image would have become reality had the Amazin's, Yankees and Marlins not struck out on a rumored three-way trade that would have sent Syndergaard packing his bags for the 4 train.
“It boggles my mind that New York is the most sophisticated city in the world and there's the Yankees with the most archaic hair policy in sports,” says Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert. “It's definitely a challenge if you are somebody who, your whole image seems to be wrapped up in that (hair).”
For the record, the Islanders also enforce a similar policy under Godfather Lou Lamoriello.
Anyway, while it's a safe bet that trade will not take place after all, as all three teams have shifted their attention elsewhere following the MLB Winter Meetings, it nonetheless got us thinking about what would have become of Syndergaard's trademark hair had the unthinkable happened.
"All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. Long sideburns and 'mutton chops' are not specifically banned,” reads the late George Steinbrenner's 45year-old Yankees rule, instituted because The Boss thought it would add more order and discipline to the organization at a time when society took physical appearance much more seriously.
But perhaps Syndergaard would have had no problem shearing his hair if it meant a World Series ring. Conversely,
Syndergaard wouldn't have become the first to have a run-in with the oft-debated policy — just one of many enforced by The Evil Empire, though the rest remain out of the public eye.
Don Mattingly was suspended during the 1991 season because his hair ran too long and eventually gave in as the story took over MLB, while Clint Frazier's fiery mane was deemed a distraction by the organization before he eventually cut it two seasons ago. David Price bashed the rule in 2013, saying if he were a Yankee, he wouldn't sign longterm with the club because of it. Mattingly ended up establishing a similar rule during his first year as Marlins manager in 2015, before scrapping the idea. He told reporters amid the rule change that it was too much of a “constant fight” with his players.
Meanwhile, others have obliged: see the transformations of Johnny Damon, Randy Johnson and Jason Giambi upon joining the Yankees through free agency. Andrew McCutchen did the same after being traded to the club last season.
Alas, none of the above has maximized and monetized his hair style the way Syndergaard has, through endorsement deals rooted in his “Avengers” doppelganger and Nordic look. And in 2017, he made a widelycelebrated appearance on HBO's “Game of Thrones” because of those luscious locks.
“Certainly being in New York, having a cool nickname, having a cool look, being a star… I would say he's in the top-10, top-20 in terms of endorsable baseball players,” says Dorfman.
Hypothetically, if Syndergaard were dealt crosstown to the Bronx and didn't want to lose his rock star image, he wouldn't have much leverage in that situation.
The Yankees are a private entity and thus can make their own decisions when it comes to physical appearance, so long as it's not in violation of state and federal law, which the club is careful to note with its use of “discriminatory” in the policy.
It's their brand, after all, so we could see another Mattingly-type conflict potentially playing out.
“The fact that Steinbrenner's rule has been instituted and enforced all these years while other teams clearly are far more liberal (in physical appearance) suggest to me the (Collective Bargaining Agreement) really doesn't cover it,” says University of Illinois labor employment and relations professor Robert Bruno. “It's silent in this issue.”
There is no mention of physical appearance or hair in the current CBA, available publicly online. The fact that there is no precedent makes it difficult to file a grievance in this scenario.
“It doesn't sound like something the player's union has taken seriously; probably players who are going to the Yankees are going to get paid premium dollars and they'll cut their hair,” Bruno said. “You're probably going to end up with lots of business deals (regardless).”
And if not, well, it's not that big of a problem, considering baseball players are generally limited in endorsement dollars due to the futile regional reality the sport faces.
“They just aren't the national big names, maybe Bryce Harper is the biggest endorser and he's maybe making $10 million, where you compare that to LeBron James, who is probably making $50 million in endorsements,” Dorfman estimates.
Syndergaard could also capitalize on his look in other ways.
“Grow it back in the offseason and maybe you can work out some kind of deal with hair care companies, with razor companies and make it an annual event: The winter, spring training shave event and turn it into a charitable thing, turn it into a major event for Gillette or some kind of company like that, that can play it up,” says Dorfman.
Maybe one day Syndergaard will face such a conundrum.
For now, he can let that hair down.
Bryce Harper on the the other hand...