Religious bias at the Superbowl

[cleanhippie]

originally posted in GD....

When Green Bay scored, after the initial congratulations the players are allowed to give themselves, the scoring player walked a few feet, went to his knees, and gave a yell in celebration. He was penalized, and rightly so, for excessive celebration. (Going to the ground after a score is explicitly prohibited)

On the next score by Green Bay, the same scenario played out, with the scoring player walking away from the group, taking a knee, and the ref reaches for his flag, but as soon as the player bowed his head in prayer, the ref let go of the flag and walked away. No penalty.

Why is a prayer after the score NOT considered excessive celebration when an exuberant yell is? Religious bias? of course.

[PassingFair]

1. Religious bias? In SPORTS?

I think most atheists tend to avoid large crowds.