It’s February, a.k.a. Black History Month, which apparently means that every sports team in a place where a lot of black people live needs to pay homage to the past. But for the second year in a row, the Washington Wizards have been involved in something really bizarre that isn’t quite offensive, but is certainly quizzical.  [Wizards and Caps offer unusual Black History Month tribute]  “In honor of Black History Month, Amtrak and the Washington Wizards are proud to recognize and remember the countless efforts and contributions of African Americans through a modern day recreation of past and present iconic images. Our players are inspired and proud to pay homage to these historic figures as part of their commitment to upholding and honoring their legacies. This project embodies the mission of our collaboration, which is to come together and empower one another as people,” the site reads.  Obviously, honoring the legacy of black people is a noble and respectable task, but this side-by-side bit is wearing thin. Remember last year? Yeah, that was beyond awkward. In case you forgot, as part of a larger effort at Monumental Sports & Entertainment the team split faces of actual American icons with random players, owner Ted Leonsis and perhaps most embarrassingly, the mascot G-Wiz.  It was an honest effort, but the team ended up apologizing, sort of.  [Wizards apologize if Black History Month tribute ‘missed the mark’]  In fairness, this latest project is in conjunction with Amtrak, so we’re just going to give the benefit of the doubt to the Wizards on this one. Last year the team awarded the Amtrak Pioneer Award to various members of the community whom Monumental felt best represented their core values, “individuals that are making a difference in the fight against hunger and homelessness, which are helping support our active duty military personnel and veterans, who are working to promote health and fitness, who are driving and positive forces in youth basketball and who are helping others educate themselves,” according to the team website.  The Post’s request for comment from Amtrak was not returned. To be clear, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this ad campaign, but it’s hard to understand how exactly having players dress up like historical figures is really accomplishing anything.  It’s Black History Month, not Halloween.  Clinton Yates is a D.C. native and an online columnist. When he's not covering the city, pop culture or listening to music, he watches sports. A lot of them.
At least it's better than last year when the team split American icons with its mascot, G Wiz.