Out of Left Field: Breaking down the complex case of Joseph Kennedy

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Joseph Kennedy, a football coach in Bremerton, Washington, on Monday.

Kennedy became a widely-known figure in the sports world after he held postgame prayers at midfield during his career as an assistant coach at Bremerton High School. It started with just him and a few coaches before it turned into an event-wide prayer with players from both teams and others in attendance.

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He received backlash for this practice and was fired.

Kennedy sued, and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 that he was wrongfully terminated.

For anyone who has been to a Big Country football game, it seems ludicrous that this even went to court.

At almost every game I’ve covered, one of the coaches has led a post-game prayer, either for his team or both teams. It’s not uncommon and no one seems to have a problem with it.

But it’s worth noting that the Abilene area is much different than Washington state: The Big Country is predominantly Christian, while Washington’s percentage of believers is significantly lower.

According to City-Data, nearly two-thirds of Abilene’s population is Christian (any denomination), while just 20% of Bremerton’s population identifies as Christian. A 2019 poll showed 30% of Washington respondents going to church weekly.

It’s more likely that a student-athlete in Washington state be inclined to sit out, due to involvement with a different religion or other reasons.

Personally, it’s hard to fully comprehend the debate, as I am a believer. I didn’t play football in high school, but if I did, I would have participated.

Yet, I understand the pressure that could come with a “non-mandatory” prayer session after a game.

I don’t know if Kennedy pressured his players at all to participate. That’s between him and God.

But the pressure doesn’t have to be direct: It could be as simple as Kennedy observing who wasn’t praying and subtly thinking differently of them.

Even if that’s not how Kennedy conducts himself, it would be easy for a high schooler to worry about that — and, thus, participate in something he doesn’t want to, solely because of pressure.

Getting to know dozens of the Big Country’s football coaches, I couldn’t see them doing that. Most come across as exceptional men who support all their players, regardless of how or if they worship.

But because of Abilene’s high percentage of residents who claim Christianity, one with different beliefs would be in the minority and may feel uncomfortable participating.

And it's not just coaches who could view them differently for sitting out of the prayer. It could be their teammates, peers and others in the community.

I don’t see postgame prayers going away anytime soon in the Big Country — and I like that.

Christianity plays a big role in this area, and the players and coaches should be able to give thanks to the God they worship collectively, if they choose.

But there are things for coaches to be mindful of. It would be wise, and compassionate, for coaches to bring up the issue and reiterate their feelings of love to those who feel uncomfortable praying.

Anyone with different beliefs should not be scrutinized for opting not to participate. Players should be evaluated by their skills, athleticism and character; not who they choose — or choose not — to worship.

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Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to reporternews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Out of Left Field: Breaking down the complex case of Joseph Kennedy