Asian American and Pacific Islander football players, artists and leaders involved in the National Football League gathered at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum on the eve of Super Bowl LX to spotlight the community's historic impact on the sport.

The purpose of "Champions of the Game," co-hosted Saturday by the Asian American Foundation nonprofit and the NFL, was to "recognize the legendary trailblazers, pioneers who broke through both physical and racial barriers" in the NFL, foundation CEO Norman Chen said in an opening speech. 

An extremely small percentage of NFL players are Asian American and Pacific Islander, although the number of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander players has grown in recent years. 

According to a 2023 report by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, 1.8% of NFL players in 2023 were Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders while just 0.1% were Asians.

San Francisco has played a key role in the history of Asian American football, dating back to 1947, when Wally Yonamine signed with the 49ers and became the first Japanese American professional football player.

Jesse Sapolu, a former 49er and four-time Super Bowl champion, said at the event that when he first came to America in 1970 from his birthplace of Samoa, he didn't speak English. Through football, he said, he had the opportunity to go to college and eventually to be drafted into the NFL.

Sapolu said he felt added pressure not to fail when he was coming up in the NFL because he was one of very few Samoan players.

"How I handle myself, that was done purposely," he said. "Because I knew this community that's out there cheering me" on.

Paraag Marathe, president of 49ers Enterprises and executive vice president of 49ers' football operations, said that when he started his career, there weren't a lot of sports executives who looked like him.

"It is special to see how the world is changing," he said. "Sports is the greatest uniter of communities. It doesn't matter what color you are, we all love sports. We all love football."

Los Angeles Rams Chief Marketing Officer Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick said that when you understand and serve certain groups, such as Asian American fans, "you're serving everyone," she said. For instance, in December, the Rams launched the NFL's first partnership with Sanrio for Hello Kitty and Rams merchandise.

"When you actually look at the fan base, and you look at how it brings new fans in, it attracts new people to the game," she said about the Sanrio collaboration. "But also, universally it doesn't separate what color you are. Everyone loved it."

Artists of Chinese ethnicity also played a key role in this year's Super Bowl, which will take place Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, with Chinese contemporary artist Cao Yue and Chinese embroidery artist Ding Lan Yinga designing a special Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse football.

Bay Area Chinese American artist Erin Fong designed the official ticket and program, as well as an installation at Moscone Center for the ticketed Super Bowl Experience exhibition.

Fong, whose site-specific installation work is characterized by the use of vibrant color combinations, said she used a 1,000-pound printing press from the 1960s to create 59 prints with a quote from each previous Super Bowl.

"While I was printing a lot of these posters, many quotes were talking about determination, belief and legacy, and I can't help but think that my Chinese ancestors who traveled through the Port of San Francisco carried that same determination and belief with them," she said. "They've really made the groundwork for me to be here today as the official artist for Super Bowl LX."

This article originally published at On eve of Super Bowl, AAPI athletes and artists highlight community's impact on football.