MOBILE, AL -- On June 29, 2000 The United States
Supreme Court said prayer at athletic events should
not be allowed. That ruling makes the First Amendment
null and void among the young people of the United
States of America. No longer will students initiate
prayer in schools or at school sponsored events at
ball parks.
Being a parent I have found myself as a coach and
as a parent in a leadership role in front of the
children on several occasions. Many of the children
come to just play baseball. Many of them come out of
situations, where prayer would never be heard. Most
of the children who come to the ball parks at 11 and
12 years of age come with gigantic holes in their
hearts. Divorce has spread through their families
like a wild fire. You can see the intense pressure on
their faces as 
many parents
drive their children to do their best. Many fathers
stand on the side and apply intense pressure on their
children to play. The tears on the mound from a child
trying to live up to a parent’s expectation puts
an unnatural fear into their little hearts like a
battle field situation.
Violence At Local Mobile Ball
Park
So much is happening at our children’s ball
parks. Where is God? Does He have a seat in the
stands. Can He come on the field and play through the
ball players. Prayer and witnessing should be left at
church says the sports announcers of America but what
they don’t understand is the problems are coming
to the ball parks.
In Mobile at a ball park on the western side of
Mobile a man who is a parent coach brings a gun. He
was only suspended for one year. One parent stood
under the trees and listened to the leadership of
that ball park. He said this, "The leadership
was screaming at each other as the parents looked on.
They never solved a thing while they were there and
the issue of the gun at the ball park only got a
wrist slap. The parent-coach was just barred for one
year. Paul Lowery who has a son that plays at the
park said this, "All the parents who attended
that meeting were shocked at how it was
conducted." At another ball park in Alabama a
mother is shot dead while the game is going on.
Emotions and hurt have entered the ball park and what
we have seen at Columbine will one day come fully
forward through a parent and no one will be there to
offer prayer.
Coach
Ralph Compton and Coach Van Byrd Provides Leadership
When They Have Prayer with there TAA Yankees
Children are there to have fun but what comes
forward every season is the tremendous stress. This
year at the TAA Ball Park the Yankees had team prayer
before almost every game they played. One little boy
who pitched for the team said, "We do better
when we pray." The young ball player began to
notice the difference between the times when they
prayed and the times when they didn’t. Coach
Ralph Compton and Coach Van Byrd began to look around
for Jonathan’s daddy in the stands,
understanding the power of prayer. Mr. Miller,
we’re ready to pray. In the dugout they joined
hands together, took off their hats and began to
pray. "Lord be with us today, help us play our
best, keep us from injury and let us give respect to
the other team -- in Jesus name, Amen." The
teams had several Catholics, Baptists, and
Pentecostals and not one time did a parent try to
stop it. No one was injured and God had His hand on
the TAA Yankees. "It was humbling for all of us
to stand before God and offer prayer. Who are we but
a bunch of people trying to raise our children and
hoping all the while we are doing right by them. They
are looking to us for leadership. How we act and what
we say will be a part of their little lives
forever," said Jonathan’s father.
God
was listening
The coaches made the choice to pray and somehow
they knew they and the boys needed the prayer. It
wasn’t the person offering the prayer but it was
the person hearing the prayer. God was listening to
the input and he honored the whole year as parents
and boys lived and worked in harmony because of
giving God the glory.
PRAYER
AT BALL GAMES