Religion on the Field [View All]

[SecularMotion]

Now that the Boys of Spring are prepped for the 2010 season, I am, too.

I’m ready to take my cuts — at the endless kissing of fingers to the heavens; the ritual sign of the cross performed by batters stepping to the plate; the bent knee behind the mound. In short, I object to the displays of religiosity appropriate to houses of worship, not ball fields.

I’ve watched American sports for decades, both as a fan and as a writer, and not until the past few years have I witnessed such an offensive show of devotion — as out of place as locker room prayer sessions. Indeed, a recent legal decision held that a football coach in East Brunswick, N.J., was wrong for having his team “take a knee” and pray in the high school’s locker room.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/complaint-box-religion-on-the-field/?hp