At the turn of the century -the 20th century, that is- baseball players wore mustaches, often big manly handlebar mustaches. We have the baseball cards to prove it. But as facial hair fell out of style, in no small part thanks to razor companies, the clean-shaven look took over. In the 1970s, the mustache came back big time when the Oakland A’s manager offered a $300 bonus to players who grew their lip locks out. The team’s appearance made folks nostalgic for the early days of baseball, and some players from other teams followed suit. Smithsonian magazine has a slideshow of both classic and modern baseball players and their mustaches, as well as their beards, sideburns, soul patches, goatees, and muttonchops.
(Right image credit: Keith Allison)