Remembering some strange coin tosses in sports

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One of the most contentious elections in memory will soon be over (we hope) as Americans go to the polls today to decide whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be their next president.

By all accounts, it's pretty much a 50/50 race. Considering those odds, and the fact that everyone seems pretty stressed about what our neighbours might do, I thought it might be fun to look at some famous coin flips in sports.

Before we indulge our inner Anton Chigurh, a little background.

Coin flips have a regular place in a variety of sports. In tennis, for instance, they determine who gets first serve. In soccer, which team kicks first in a shootout. In cricket, the winner decides whether to bat or bowl to begin the match. 

Sometimes, a coin toss can even be used to settle a tie. A famous example came during soccer's 1968 European Championship, which happened before the adoption of the penalty shootout. With host Italy and the Soviet Union still knotted at 0-0 after extra time in the semifinals, a coin flip determined who would advance. The Italians won it, then defeated Yugoslavia to capture their first Euro title. (That matchup initially ended in a tie too. But, under the rules at the time for settling a final, the game was replayed a couple days later and Italy won 2-0).

Among the major North American team sports, football is the only one that uses coin flips regularly. The team that wins the referee's toss at midfield before the game can choose to receive the opening kickoff, kick the ball away, defend a certain endzone or defer their option to the second half.

I'm pretty sure