Following parent complaints that youth athletes were being forced to participate in pre- and post-game prayers, Prattville (Ala.) Parks and Recreation Department has taken action to ensure the practice does not continue.
According to FFRF, the initial complaint was filed following the softball league’s opening day on April 11. A parent reported that the city’s softball league was requiring all players to recite the Lord’s Prayer at the commencement of the game and at the conclusion.
The parent said, “Most games and practices are concluded with forced prayer, requiring all players to circle and hold hands, led by umpires and coaches.”
Coaches allegedly told youth athletes they “needed to go home and learn the Lord’s Prayer because they weren’t reciting it well enough.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation staff attorney, Sammi Lawrence, said, “The fact that the city is requiring youth players to learn and recite the Lord’s Prayer is particularly concerning. Youth-athletes are especially susceptible to coercion, and the relationship between youths and their coaches is inherently ripe for coercion.”
In a statement following the complaint, Prattville Parks and Recreation director Kellie Carter said, “Prattville Parks and Recreation Department does not and will not require, organize, coerce or direct the recitation of prayers by participants, coaches, officials or staff during league activities.”
