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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Letter to the editor - Events should respect religious diversity
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I recently attended the NCAA Division III cross country championships in Ohio. It was a wonderful event as it always is when your athlete qualifies for NCAA nationals...with one exception! My concern pertains to the denominational and significantly long blessing that was given at the athletes dinner the night before.
The strength of America is our diversity and the respect we have for those who may not be of the same religious faith or opinion. This is not the first time at an NCAA event that I have heard someone give an extensive blessing that had an obvious slant toward the presenter’s own particular religion. I would suggest, in the future, that the NCAA make every attempt to make clear to host institutions that they respect the religions and opinions of all who participate in NCAA athletics events. Perhaps host colleges could be advised to be more cautious, more generic if they must pray, and less assuming in the amount and text of the words they impose on their guests. Political correctness can be taken too far but, in terms of prayer at athletics events, having respect for diversity and others’ beliefs should be a priority at NCAA-sanctioned events. In addition, in my opinion, one also has to wonder about the merit of beseeching a greater power’s involvement in an athletics event when perhaps our prayers would be better directed to influence and beseech for the suffering children in Darfur or elsewhere?
Divine intervention in our mundane activities is a whole other type of debate, but prayers of the types I have heard at NCAA events are not proper and should cease!
Ron Stonitsch
Cross country coach
Vassar College
The strength of America is our diversity and the respect we have for those who may not be of the same religious faith or opinion. This is not the first time at an NCAA event that I have heard someone give an extensive blessing that had an obvious slant toward the presenter’s own particular religion. I would suggest, in the future, that the NCAA make every attempt to make clear to host institutions that they respect the religions and opinions of all who participate in NCAA athletics events. Perhaps host colleges could be advised to be more cautious, more generic if they must pray, and less assuming in the amount and text of the words they impose on their guests. Political correctness can be taken too far but, in terms of prayer at athletics events, having respect for diversity and others’ beliefs should be a priority at NCAA-sanctioned events. In addition, in my opinion, one also has to wonder about the merit of beseeching a greater power’s involvement in an athletics event when perhaps our prayers would be better directed to influence and beseech for the suffering children in Darfur or elsewhere?
Divine intervention in our mundane activities is a whole other type of debate, but prayers of the types I have heard at NCAA events are not proper and should cease!
Ron Stonitsch
Cross country coach
Vassar College
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