"One Battle at a time..."

While browsing Deadspin, today, I ran into this little beauty of an article calling into question the Indian Heritage of Mark One Wolf, the gentleman touted by Dan Snyder as a Native American who had no problem with his team's moniker.

Here's how I talked this through with CASH (that stands for Charmingly Asshole-ish, Sarcastic Husband): 

The argument can be made that Snyder doesn't have to consider a single opinion when it comes to naming his team.  He pays the bills.  

But some words simply have no place in an enlightened, civilized setting.

And then I started looking up stats and realized that no matter WHAT side of this line you fall on, Dan Snyder's not likely to get his barely functioning three ring garbage barge out of trouble on the field until he clears the storm over their head and makes a change of some kind. 

Washington has bottomed out their division every single year since 2008 except the magical RGIII rookie year.  Of those 5 last place finishes in 6 years, they managed to break even ONCE. So far, they've a whopping 1-4 on the season with a hurt (for the 2nd time) RGIII and a backup QB who runs so hot and cold he makes discount motel showers look consistent.  

In fact, excepting the fabled and miraculous RGIII rookie year, the last time Washington took 1st place in their division WASN'T EVEN IN THIS MILLENNIUM. 

That's a long time to wallow in a mud hole of barely passing mediocrity when the League that your team belongs to has a draft system set up to promote parity and it speaks to some poor decision making SOMEWHERE...perhaps we can start on whomever decided to wait until 2013 to replace the disgracefully rundown field. that clipped the wings of their Wonder Boy for a time.

I've never run a football organization.  The closest I've ever gotten is...I literally have nothing here that isn't' going to sound just asinine and ridiculous. But  when the 2014 Draft kicked off, one of the biggest questions before the GMs and coaches of the NFL was whether or not the first openly gay player would be too much of a distraction.  Imagine how hard it must be to concentrate when it's your organization under fire for racial insensitivity. Better yet...look at the Win-Loss records.  They'll tell you everything you need to know. 

The controversy may not be the REASON the team is bad it's certainly doing nothing to help the organization on the field, falling under the "One more thing we gotta deal with in the media" category that, over time, wears heavily.

And if Snyder thinks it'll die down or go away, I think he's being terribly naive.  This is how social change is brought about, now...social media has, in a way, made us all civilly disobedient, if we only choose toe recognize it power and abilities. Ideas and concepts balloon from tablets, laptops and phones like baby spiders, using the gossamer strands of the internet to take flight...and the free exchange of ideas is always, ALWAYS a powerful thing. 

I am reminded of a story I once heard about Lincoln during the civil war...There was a high ranking British politician that was having lunch off on a ship with a Confederate Politician when the boat was boarded by Union soldiers and the Confederate Politician was taken into custody.  The British Gentleman was irate, threatening military action if there was no release of his friend.  Lincoln, amid the groans of his cabinet members, let the prisoner go.  His reasoning? "Fight one war at a time." 

I'm not sure this effects my life one way or the other.  Take a look at the last two wildcard shots Washington's had and what team it was that shattered those dreams.  That's right...my Hawks.  And if our Teeny Human ever asks why the word Redskin is not used in our home, I'll simply explain to him that we do not use words that go out of their way to make another person feel bad for something they can't control or have no say over.  I'm not asking the NFL to parent for me--I got it, thanks. 

 I'm simply pointing out that if you're REALLY committed to pulling your team out of an almost decade and a half long slump that only has these brief, shining rays of hope scattered throughout it...you might want to start by closing down one of your battlefields in giving your franchise and people a new banner to rally around. 

Fight one war at a time, Dan...and be smart enough to choose the war that actually matters...