No more hazing MLB rookies by making them dress as women
The days of your favorite MLB rookies wearing wigs and dresses are gone.
The league's new collective bargaining agreement includes an Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Policy, which prohibits teams from making players dress up as women or wear costumes "... that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or other characteristic," according to the Associated Press.
Late in the season, veteran players have rookies dress up in outlandish costumes on team travel days. Often, that includes dressing up as women.
Hazing can be a slippery slope, according MLB vice president Paul Mifsud, who said the new policy was partially influenced by social media's power to publicize what happens off the field.
"Although it hasn't happened, you could sort of see how like someone might even dress up in blackface and say, 'Oh no, we were just dressing up,'" Mifsud said, per ESPN. "We've also understood that a number of players have complained about it."
Not everyone is happy with the new policy, though.
San Francisco Giants broadcaster and former MLB pitcher Mike Krukow called the ritual a right of passage for many big leaguers, a team bonding experience.
"I think it's ridiculous," he said, per CSN Bay Area. "A lot of these kids come up out of the minor leagues having been there four or five years, they get to the big leagues and they cannot wait to put a dress on. They've heard about this, they want to be a part of it, it's a tradition. "
"It's something they're proud of ... I think it's ridiculous that Major League Baseball gets involved with this," Krukow continued. "I don't think that we're that sensitive that we can't appreciate a tradition like that."
Former Red Sox All-Star Kevin Youkilis shared a similar sentiment.
The new policy doesn't limit all hazing, though. Certain rookie rituals — like carrying snacks to the bullpen in tiny backpacks or fetching coffee in full uniform — are still allowed.
And costumes that don't involved dressing in drag are still fair game, too.
Even if it limits a popular tradition among players, the new policy is a smart move for baseball.
It's better the league implements a policy now, instead of waiting for a major hazing incident — like the Jonathan Martin locker room bullying that rocked the NFL in 2013 — to spark change.
"The purpose of this policy is not to prohibit all traditions regarding rookies or players," the new policy states, "but rather to prohibit conduct that may cause players physical anguish or harm, may be offensive to some players, club staff or fans, or are distracting to the operation of the club or MLB."
