Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Billie Jean King was on hand at SoFI Stadium for Super Bowl LVI as she held the honor of carrying out the ceremonial coin toss. The Los Angeles Rams held the choice as the designated visiting team, but Matthew Stafford’s tails pick didn’t pan out.
Nevertheless, it marked an eighth consecutive year in which the team that lost the coin toss still won the Super Bowl as Stafford and the Rams staged another dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter.
As for King, she was joined on the field by team captains of the California School for the Deaf-Riverside Cubs, members of the High School Girls Flag League of Champions, and girls youth tackle football players from the Inglewood Chargers and Watts Rams.
The local California Honorary Captains were selected in recognition of utilizing their passion for sport to encourage a conversation on continuing to ensure equitable opportunities and inclusion are present to all athletes across all sports.
“It is an honor to stand with these outstanding student athletes and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX on one of the world’s biggest stages,” King said in a statement. “It’s hard to understand inclusion until you have been excluded, and I am proud to be part of this year’s Super Bowl Coin Toss and the NFL’s commitment to bring us together and make us stronger.”
Pressure is a privilege. 😉🪙 #SuperBowlLVI #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/g5Pu9NVEbC
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) February 13, 2022
Getting ready to take the field at the #SuperBowl w/fellow Honorary Coin Toss Captains, the California School for the Deaf-Riverside Cubs, members of the High School Girls Flag League of Champions & girls youth tackle football players from the Inglewood Chargers & the Watts Rams. pic.twitter.com/bUkeHgkSjy
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) February 13, 2022
.@BillieJeanKing does the coin flip honors for #SBLVI!
📺: #SBLVI on NBC
📱: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nu pic.twitter.com/bzoOFsLmUd— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2022
In addition to taking the field for the honorary coin toss, King narrated a special tribute for the 50th anniversary of Title IX and its impact.
Title IX was enacted in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments which provided equal funding for men and women at high schools, colleges and universities for the first time.
“Billie Jean King is a trailblazer who set in motion transcendent changes that led to the betterment of sports and society,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Her inspiring drive for gender equality and equal access to opportunity has benefited generations, and her legacy continues through the football players that will surround her on Sunday, proving that football is truly for everyone.”
In 2009, King became the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kershaw attended Super Bowl to support Stafford
Clayton Kershaw also was on hand for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, dressed in a Rams t-shirt and cheering on Stafford, who is his childhood friend.
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