West Point prayer controversy shouldn’t be in sports section
I was amused by the article in the Sports section on Sept. 9. The quip included statements by Mikey Weinstein, an anti-religion activist who is taking action against the United States Military Academy, at West Point, New York.
The subject regarded a prayer in the academy’s football locker room after they defeated Temple University’s team, which was a huge favorite. I am a West Point graduate who voluntarily attended chapel services while a cadet. Note the word “voluntarily.”
I continue to be a devoted fan of the football program. After West Point’s victory, I searched The Bee for a write-up regarding the game. Nothing. But when the team was in prayer after the game, that now attracted the media’s attention.
No one in America forces a football player to stand during our national anthem. Likewise, no one on the football team at Army is forced to kneel in prayer after a game. However, if this item is such importance to receive national coverage I would hope to read about it in the religion section of The Bee, where it belongs, rather than in the Sports section. That subject, appropriately placed, is worth talking about.
Jerry Garwick, Prather
This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 1:40 PM with the headline "West Point prayer controversy shouldn’t be in sports section."