Joining in on postgame prayers?

This is something that's crossed my mind a few times this football season. After football games, when the whole team is huddling up for the team prayer and you're waiting for them to break so you can get quotes, has anyone ever joined in?
Sometimes I'll wander too close to the huddle and am close enough to grab a hand or put one on a shoulder when the prayer starts, and it's a little awkward sometimes. I'll always bow my head to be respectful, but never have joined in. It's more from trying to stay professional than anything. Still, I always wonder what I would do if a parent or somebody tried to make me the next link in the chain. And some of these folks we see all the time are friends, so I'm always a little worried they might notice one of these days and be offended.
What does everyone else think?

 

I wouldn't feel welcome in joining in, but it's respectful to remove your hat and remain silent, IMHO.

I'm a believer, but I respect the team's right to privacy.

 

I will normally stand far enough away to hear the prayer but not be pulled in. I do bow my head along with them because I am human and have no problem with a prayer of thanks that nobody was seriously hurt or that if somebody was that they will be OK. But joining the group as a whole, not likely to ever happen.

 

The only temptation I have ever had regarding these post-game heaven huddles is to question how prayer on public school property suddenly became okay. And if I say any prayer, I say a silent one for any kid on the team who might have the audacity to not believe in such stuff, but is forced to participate anyway.

 

Well the only time I witness it is with private schools. Although U are right, they do it on the road at public fields. Hmmmm. Interesting.

 

The reason it's OK at public schools is nobody is being forced to pray. It is an invitation to pray, usually by the team captain(s), so the coach doesn't get into hot water.

I see nothing wrong with it. If you don't want to pray, stand there and be silent for a few seconds out of respect to your teammates. If you don't worship the One true God worship a different god, then make your prayer out to that particular guy/girl.

 

What's wrong with it is what happens to the kid who doesn't pray to Jesus because he's a Jew, or agnostic or an atheist. These aren't non-denominational prayers, you know.

 

Um, sorry Harley. That's fine in theory, but not in practice.

See, I tried that sort of approach back in high school. My baseball coaches and teammates would huddle up and kneel for a pregame prayer before every game, and while they did that, I would go off near the outfield fence and stretch or do something far more productive with my time. I didn't make a show of it, but I wasn't going to waste my time with that crap either.

And more often than not, I'd catch some comment from a fan, especially if we were playing on the road. And, of course, I had a few teammates wanting to then give me their insufferable "testimonies", a fate far worse than heckling (or death for that matter.)

Saying that a kid can just choose not to participate is a limp-noodle defense. Anyone who thinks its just that simple has never been on a team, been a teenager or lived in a predominantly conservative area.

And what the "one true God" ( : : ) has to do with the end of a pointless football game anyway still eludes me.

 

"Hey kid. If you pray real good, maybe God will inspire me to include you in my story."

 

Bingo.

And I grew up in a very similar area.

 

I pray for a scoop, but it never happens.

 

I've always stayed far enough away as to very visibly not a part of what was going on.

There was one coach at a school I used to cover that would make his team say the Lord's Prayer in the locker room after a game. I wonder how the kids who didn't share his faith felt about that.

When I played HS football, our coach led us in a short prayer before the game, nothing like what this other coach did, it was more like a "prayer that we came out safe and...you know...not terribly humilated..." since we sucked.

And on a real cold night, I pray for them to finish quickly so I can find a warm place to file.