In honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, tennis icon Billie Jean King conducted the coin toss ahead of Super Bowl LVI.

King, along with honorary coin toss captains from the California School for the Deaf-Riverside Cubs and members of the girls youth tackle football players from the Inglewood Chargers and the Watts Rams, have used their platforms to continue the conversation of equitable opportunities and inclusion across sports.

Title IX was enacted in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments, which for the first time provided equal funding for men and women at high schools, colleges and universities.

“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.”

Before the Honorary Captains stepped onto the field, King narrated a special tribute to the 50th anniversary and the impact made on the landscape of education and sport.

“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 before the start of the game. “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 2021, King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles winner, was selected to the International Hall of Fame for a second time as part of the Original 9, a group of trailblazing women who put their tennis careers on the line to take a stand for equal pay among men and women.