New leaves, turned

He said he would never get rid of the racial slur. Remember that?

He said, Daniel Snyder did -- he vowed, actually -- he would never, ever, ever allow That Name to be changed, as long as he owned the Washington Football Club. It was a proud heritage, or something like that. It was a proud heritage even though the man who gave the team That Name was a diehard racist who refused to allow players of color on his football team until his team was the last team standing that hadn't.

That man's name was George Preston Marshall.  And it figured he would give his team a racial slur for a nickname, given his stance on such matters.

And Daniel Snyder?

Well. Let's just say "never" is never as final as it sounds.

Because today, according to sources, the Washington Football Club will announce it is, indeed, getting rid of the racial slur. It's dropping That Name like a hot rock. And it's doing so largely because a lot of its sponsors, and the sponsors that bankroll them, told Snyder the money train would be leaving the station if it didn't.

And suddenly "never" became "today." Surprise, surprise. Like we didn't know money outshouts everything else in America?

So another leaf turns in a nation finally turning some uncommonly stubborn ones, in defiance of the out-of-touch creature in the White House and his perpetually aggrieved base. They'll call this Political Correctness Run Amok, because that's the tune they always play when something wrong is made right. They're a veritable Johnny One Note when things like this happen.

And yet the earth will not shudder on its axis, when the Washington Racial Slurs become the Washington Something Else's. Nothing substantive will change because they're the Fightin' Appropriations or Congress Critters. The name will change, the logo will change, and a year from now all those new jerseys and hats and other gear will be flying off the shelves.

That's how it works. I know this because of what's in my closet.

Among a prolific jumble of other caps, see, there's a green one with a sneering red apple on it. It's a TinCaps cap, and you see them everywhere now. People wear them who couldn't find Fort Wayne on either a map or a bet, but who think the name and gear are coolly funky.

Which is odd, because when the team ditched the Wizards nickname to become the TinCaps, everyone hated the new name. Well, not everyone, but enough so you could get away with saying everyone.

Now TinCaps gear flies off the shelves.

And the Washington Something Else's?

Better get in line for your Something Else gear now.