“Cool under pressure!” Billie Jean King nails Super Bowl coin flip

There's no doubt that Billie Jean King is a sports icon, whose name is well-known almost everywhere she goes. But there’s one place where her legend transcends into mythical status: Los Angeles.

The Long Beach, California native and part-owner of the LA Dodgers was honored on Sunday ahead of Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, as she conducted the honorary coin flip. The Super Bowl took place at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ home turf, and the event coincided with the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Enacted in 1972, Title IX provided equal federal funding for men's and women's sports in high school and college. King, who has long been a champion for equality in sports, also narrated a tribute to the law’s legacy as she took the field alongside student athletes from California.

"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 the powerful video. "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."

The Bengals won the coin flip—a bad omen, as the previous seven teams who did so all went on to lose the Super Bowl. Indeed, the Rams went on to defeat the Bengals 23-20, much to the delight of LA sports fans.

King, who is an avid social media star in her own right, also live-Tweeted the experience. She revealed that she even got to keep the coin as a one-of-a-kind memento:

Sports and entertainment stars from around the world took to social media to applaud King’s big game moment.

“Cool under pressure!” said Chris Evert, while Zina Garrison declared King “the God Mother of Sports”.