Prayer at sporting events.

[Celestial Fireflies]

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to my first football game since moving to Texas. It was pretty normal, until they asked everyone to pray with them. The games I went to in my hometown never included any sort of prayer, so it caught me off guard. Once I got over the surprise of seeing people pray at a sporting event, I almost had to laugh at how ridiculous it seemed to pray to win a football game while making fun of the other team in said prayer. Nonetheless, I just stood there and didn't say anything.

I'd like to know what other people think of this. Does anyone else gone to sporting events where they prayed before the game? How did you feel about it, if you have?  

[PathlessPlot]

I generally don't go to any sporting events, but I used to be in the marching band so I had to go to every football game. Most of the time there would be a prayer before the game and I would feel ridiculous! I just looked around and thought about the performance.  

[I Am A Mountie]

Dear God, Please help us crush Dallas Ducks?
o.0  

[Athena_Ritashe]

Dear God called randomness and chance, please let the best one win. I'm rooting for the team in blue, the best color taste should win.  

[Henneth Annun]

I've been to some basketball and soccer games, but no one has ever even mentioned anything religiously related in them when I was there.

It sounds sort of stupid to pray to win a sports game. It's supposed to be about your talent, not which team some god happens to favour on that day. rolleyes  

[Celestial Fireflies]

XWraith_LordX

I've been to some basketball and soccer games, but no one has ever even mentioned anything religiously related in them when I was there.

It sounds sort of stupid to pray to win a sports game. It's supposed to be about your talent, not which team some god happens to favour on that day. rolleyes

No kidding. I've just been to the third game; they didn't pray last time, so I thought they only did it for the first game of the season, but they prayed this time. This time, they simply asked for the players' safety and said that they were thankful to have the freedom to gather and play football. Personally, I just want to see some football, but I guess five minutes or however long it was isn't too long of a wait.  

[Daffodil the Destroyer]

I was in marching band during high school and while there was no stadium-wide prayer that I know about, the band always had our own. The director is a Southern Baptist, and while he's a really nice guy, he has no grasp of the concept that it's sort of distasteful and illegal to make the entire band observe these prayers (I was Christian at the time so I didn't complain... but now that I teach his clarinet section in the summers, every year I consider going to the principal about this, but I don't because I know nothing would be done about it). He always makes a student lead the prayer so that it's less illegal. So before every football game, contest, meal during band camp, etc... we always heard some student going:

Fawthuh Gawd, we just thank you fuh this day. We just thank you fuh this chance to be here and perform our show. Fawthuh, we just ask that you bless our band as we march today (and if this was a meal type of prayer, you'd hear "and just bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies").

When I was in high school, there was only one student who I ever heard complain about it and my little a*****e Christian friends and I just sat there and laughed about how he should shut up and deal with it. It disgusts me to remember. >.>

 

[IVIalice]

Recently, I noticed that they pray before Nascar races. It wasnt a prayer for a certain person to win but more of a "keep them safe" kinda prayer.  

[adolfchrist]

Well, unfortunately, thats how things are in Texas