OK, there is a right way and a wrong way to deal with public prayer. (PRIVATE prayer is a completely different matter). All the comments you made are correct.
In the case you mentioned, people with differing religious views were respected. In the case I mentioned, people with differing religious views were NOT respected. I spent a number of years in my youth in a part of the country where differing religious views were often not respected, unfortunately. My particular religious views were not in the mainstream in that area. When people respected my views, I respected theirs. When I was invited to prayer groups or bible study or vacation bible school, I went with my friends. I didn't have much use for the people who showed no respect for my set of beliefs. I was very touched, many years later, when teaching not far from where I grew up, when people with the beliefs more common in that area actually apologized to me for the less tolerant people. My new friends felt intolerance made their religion look bad. As for my new friends: I would join them in their church activities, or prayer meetings, or whatever when invited. That is just my style.
The incident I described earlier wasn't someone freaking out over a few words of prayer. My friend was a tough guy, who later killed several people in hand-to-hand combat. The problem was the humiliation poured onto him and his sister in their youth by intolerant teachers, who were armed with the power of the state to lead prayers.
As for what the coach should do? Any wise coach will make sure not one single player on the team feels excluded by a team activity.
You mentioned one way to handle it. Around Madison, WI, they usually handle it by leaving public prayer out of things altogether. It is interesting to me to see how reticent many people in Madison are about discussing religion. In other places, people were often very open about religion, and some wore it on their sleeves, so to speak. I was astounded that the father of two girls who are close friends of two of my daughters is a minister, and my daughters don't even know what denomination. They consider it impolite to ask.
In the case you mentioned, people with differing religious views were respected. In the case I mentioned, people with differing religious views were NOT respected. I spent a number of years in my youth in a part of the country where differing religious views were often not respected, unfortunately. My particular religious views were not in the mainstream in that area. When people respected my views, I respected theirs. When I was invited to prayer groups or bible study or vacation bible school, I went with my friends. I didn't have much use for the people who showed no respect for my set of beliefs. I was very touched, many years later, when teaching not far from where I grew up, when people with the beliefs more common in that area actually apologized to me for the less tolerant people. My new friends felt intolerance made their religion look bad. As for my new friends: I would join them in their church activities, or prayer meetings, or whatever when invited. That is just my style.
The incident I described earlier wasn't someone freaking out over a few words of prayer. My friend was a tough guy, who later killed several people in hand-to-hand combat. The problem was the humiliation poured onto him and his sister in their youth by intolerant teachers, who were armed with the power of the state to lead prayers.
As for what the coach should do? Any wise coach will make sure not one single player on the team feels excluded by a team activity.
You mentioned one way to handle it. Around Madison, WI, they usually handle it by leaving public prayer out of things altogether. It is interesting to me to see how reticent many people in Madison are about discussing religion. In other places, people were often very open about religion, and some wore it on their sleeves, so to speak. I was astounded that the father of two girls who are close friends of two of my daughters is a minister, and my daughters don't even know what denomination. They consider it impolite to ask.