Stephen A. Smith loses cool over Yankees press conference on new facial hair policy

When Stephen A. Smith has a strong opinion on something, he’s going to make it heard. On Friday, he had an opinion on the New York Yankees holding a press conference to discuss their new facial hair policy.

For those unaware, the Yankees modified their longstanding policy to allow for “well-groomed” beards. Smith, a Yankees fan, didn’t seem to have a strong feeling on the policy itself — but didn’t believe it was worth the “20-minute press conference” that was held to discuss it.

“A 20-minute press conference over facial hair? I mean, what a disgrace,” Smith exclaimed. “I couldn’t believe it. I’m a Yankee fan, you know I’m a die-hard Yankee fan. I’m trying to keep my cool. You understand what I’m saying? But I mean, damn. 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?”

In a complete vacuum, we can see where Smith is coming from. Major League Baseball teams don’t need to hold a press conference whenever a team policy is changed.

That said, this has been a well-known policy for a long time. And while other teams have had similar policies over the year (pitcher Andrew Cashner had to shave his beard after being traded from the San Diego Padres to the Miami Marlins in 2016 and was not happy about it), the Yankees continued adherence to it has been notable. Because of that continued adherence to it, Michael Kay’s comments, calling the new rule a “seismic change” didn’t feel hyperbolic — though Smith may disagree.

As far as the rest of Smith’s commentary, he’s correct. The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009. The only trip since then was a five-game drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. But that’s not going to change until this fall at the earliest. In the meantime, some decisions — like revising an oft-discussed, decades-old rule — deserve at least some extra attention.