The debate over Sunday morning sports

In a pluralistic society such as ours, should a board of education take a stance on prohibiting students from participating in sports on Sunday mornings when this might clash with attendance at church services?

The Tamaqua Area School Board was asked by its president, Larry Wittig, to do just that when the board was requested to approve participation by the Tamaqua middle school wrestling team in the 2016 Tony Iasiello Memorial Classic at Parkland High School in South Whitehall Township several weeks ago. The proposal was approved with Wittig and another board member, Eileen Meiser, voting "no."

"It should be a family day," Meiser said. She said she is a "firm believer" in having one day a week set aside for families to be together.

Wittig questioned why the tournament had to be held on a Sunday morning. He was told by Assistant Superintendent Ray Kinder that the tournament would probably just involve a few middle school students.

"It's a matter of principle," Wittig insisted. He also said it sets a "bad precedent" and discourages church attendance.

In an interview, Wittig said he has had numerous calls, letters and emails of support. In fact, he said, not one of the comments directed to him was opposed to his stance.

Wittig said the school board has a policy in force that prohibits any athletic events or practices on Sundays. In the event of the need for an exception, such as last spring's disruptive schedule because of bad weather, games or practices cannot begin until Sunday afternoon, leaving Sunday mornings free for church attendance.

"We don't need to send a message that superfluous things come up that get in the way of religious observances," Wittig said.

He acknowledged that there are some in religious minorities who attend services on Friday or Saturday, times when athletic events are routinely played, but he said policy is based on serving the largest numbers in the district, the implication being that this means the Christian community, which traditionally has services on Sundays.

Wittig said in Israel he is sure that with a majority Jewish population that an accommodation would be made for practitioners of that religion over those who practice faiths with holy days other than Saturday.

In letters to the editor, Wittig was praised for his stand. "This is something I have repeatedly spoken out against; kudos to Mr. Wittig," said Richard M. Gross of Lehighton.

"The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany actively and aggressively took God out of society for adults and even more so with their children," wrote John Meier of New Ringgold. "They used sports and nationalism to do so. … Schools and athletic programs that are meant to help children grow are doing just the opposite by separating children from God," Meier added.

While he is pleased with the show of support, Wittig said he did not bring up the question to raise a furor. He says it is an issue in which he believes strongly even though he did not push his views forcefully at the school board meeting in February when the board approved the middle school's participation in the wrestling tournament.

This problem is not unique to this area. Some school districts in North Dakota, for example, work with Catholic Church officials to keep Wednesday evenings after 5 p.m. free of all sports and other school activities.

These evenings then become nights for religious education. Others have tried to do the same on Sunday mornings with less success, as school officials counter that there are lots of Masses from late Saturday afternoon to Sunday night when families might attend church together.

While this is true of those of the Catholic faith, other denominations usually have services on Sunday mornings only.

In an article in the Catholic publication America, writer Mary Ann Walsh suggests that we show respect for both church services and the value of sports.

A pastor who shows up at a game or refers to the youth sports at Mass shows relevance and wins points, she said. Conversely, a coach who respects religious values has a strong teaching tool as he works to develop sportsmanship and honor among players.

According to Walsh, some parishes make the early Sunday Mass one where young players wear their uniforms and get a special blessing on game day.

The key here is not to make children pawns in a power struggle among school officials, parents, coaches and the clergy. Finding a happy medium becomes even more important since the conflict does not appear to be diminishing. That's because interest in youth sports is growing by leaps and bounds every year.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com