‘Glaring disconnect’: The athletes’ inspiring prayer circles no one gets to see
Tis the season for high-level, exciting, shout-inducing professional football, as this weekend brings sports fans two NFL conference championship games leading up to the Super Bowl Feb. 8.
And while ESPN and the broadcast networks do their best to present well-produced coverage to viewers, one element of the on-field experience is seemingly being ignored: the post-game midfield prayer circle, made up of players and staff from both teams.
That’s the conclusion of Andrew Powell, sports and weather blogger for the Daily Caller, in a column entitled, Jesus First: The Trend in the NFL that Networks Keep Ignoring.”
Powell notes that at the end of a game, “the clock hits zero. The noise recedes. And at the exact center of the chaos – the 50-yard line – a different scene takes shape. Players from opposing teams, who moments ago were trying to tear each other’s heads off, strip off their helmets. They drop to one knee. They interlock arms. And they pray.”
Continues Powell: “It happens almost every week, in almost every stadium, yet if you blink – or just simply watch the network broadcast – you’ll miss it. The cameras cut away to the announcers, the stat graphics, or the commercial break. The ‘prayer circle’ is one of the most consistent, organic, and counter-cultural traditions in professional football, yet it has been effectively airbrushed out of the televised narrative.
“It is a glaring disconnect between the reality of the players and the reality presented by the media covering them.”
Included in the Daily Caller piece are X posts from several recent games, highlighting the prayers:
— OWN U (@Fatslob1123) January 18, 2026
POWERFUL: Over 20 #Broncos & #Bills players gathered together on the field after the game got down on a knee & PRAYED TO GOD.
These teams battled in the playoffs and one epic game, they both put it aside to praise the Lord & thank Him for their blessings.
Beautiful photo pic.twitter.com/sF4BQyhgUh
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 18, 2026
— OWN U (@Fatslob1123) January 13, 2026
Powell offers an explanation of why TV viewers rarely see these gatherings.
“To understand why the media ignores the post-game prayer, you have to understand what it represents,” he writes. “In a modern culture that is increasingly secular and polarized, the sight of several young, wealthy, influential men bowing in submission to a higher power is a glitch in the matrix. It doesn’t fit the script.
“Sports media thrives on conflict: Who won? Who lost? Who is angry? The prayer circle disrupts that narrative. So do the post-game interviews. So does the eye black. It suggests that the jersey colors are secondary to a shared identity – a fellowship – that transcends the scoreboard.”
On Monday, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza led the Indiana University Hoosiers to the college national championship over Miami. As is his habit, the quarterback gave glory to God during his post-game interview – an increasingly normal behavior for college and pro athletes, most especially quarterbacks.
?ﾝﾗﾥ?ﾝﾗﾡ?ﾝﾗﾜ?ﾝﾗﾚ: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza’s post-game interview after winning the National Championship has gone viral ?ﾟﾘﾭ
“IF I HAVE TO TAKE SHOTS FROM THE FRONT OR THE BACK”
One of the greatest interviews you will ever see.pic.twitter.com/yfOvBmgzsn
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 20, 2026