♪ this is "nightline." tonight, the mighty watts rams. >> they're running a post. >> learning more than football in one of the toughest neighborhoods of the country. >> the police aren't there to make an arrest, but to teach lessons on and off the gridiron. plus, julia the original foodies who revolutionized the art of television cooking. >> she was giving us the opportunity to say, don't be afraid to be a failure.

and whoopi goldberg, with a little night before christmas tradition. >> "nightline" will be right back. does scrubbing feel like a workout? scrub less with dawn platinum. its superior formula breaks down and removes up to 99% of tough grease and food residue faster. so you scrub less. tackle grease wherever it shows up. scrub less. save more. with dawn. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs.

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but they definitely play the game to win. and their coaches hope that the lessons they're learning on the gridiron will help carry the youngsters through life. here's will carr. >> reporter: under the bright lights, these kids are learning to pass, catch, and run with the ball on the only turf seen for miles. this is practice, but this football program is tackling much more than "x"s and "o"s. >> whoever over here on the "x," they're running the post. >> reporter: the helmets look familiar because the kids are wearing los angeles rams gear. they live in the same city, but in many ways they're a world away. watts rams are just one game away from the pee wee championship, and the chance to play in sofi stadium. for 14-year-old johnny, it's the

opportunity of a lifetime. >> i don't have words for it. >> reporter: they're about making dreams come true, on and off the field. and the coach's duties don't stop after the last whistle blows. the team is coached by l.a.p.d.. cops. the officers gear up to make one of their regular visits to the schools in the area. but they're not here to make arrests. >> how are you? >> reporter: instead, they're checking on their players. >> how you guys doing? >> good. >> we're visiting. we're just visiting. >> we just want to say hi. we're here to say hello. >> reporter: it's part of a proactive effort to bridge the trust gap between members of law enforcement and a community where trust problems run deep.

in 1965, an altercation between highway patrol officers and block motorists sparked the watts riots. l.a. would see similar turmoil 30 years later following the police beating of rodney king. and most recently, the civil unrest following the deaths of george floyd and breonna taylor. and for johnny, the watts rooam have become a second family. >> he dreams, sleeps playing football. grades have gone up. you know, chores at home. >> no walking. >> reporter: back on the field, these young players don't see cops. just coaches. >> 1, 2, 3. >> reporter: coach "z" started the team back in 2011. >> a wild dream.

took 30 kids from different housing developments in south l.a. started the team with 30. now we're at 100-plus. >> reporter: you're not only here with the kids, you're out in the street. >> the relationship with the police in the community, it's getting better. so a lot of parents and families are buying in to what we're doing. but you still have that little, little trust issue. >> reporter: this 13-year-old has seen the trust issues first-hand. >> everybody was like, oh, no. and everybody was just scared. this one kid started crying. i was like, no, they're cool. they're chill. these are police that you can trust. >> reporter: on a team that welcomes both boys and girls. it's changing her perception not only of the game, but of law enforcement as well.

>> one of my cousins got shot by the police. it was a lot for my whole family. that's when i was like, no, i don't ever want to be associated with police. now i see that police, they're not all the same. you know? >> there's gangs in the community. there's overpopulated schools in the community. they're dealing with stuff that i dealt with as a kid growing up in south l.a. myself. i say, i know my babies are safe from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. >> reporter: why do you call them your babies? >> you're about to make me choke up. i tell them all the time, i love you guys like you're my own. >> we talk about drugs and gangs, they're here. but it doesn't define what the community represents. these kids, they want to be more than that. what this program does, they can become part of something else that belongs to the community in

such an impactful way. >> reporter: in 2017, the los angeles rams sponsored the team. >> i fell in love with the program, the vision, and what was possible. i was confident, if the rams came in, we could add rocket fuel to what they were already doing and make it better. >> reporter: providing uniforms, a state of the art field, and a chance to meet nfl players and coaches. one of the biggest treats was a chance to compete in the pee wee championship at sofi stadium. this year, the little rams did just that. battling it out but ultimately suffering defeat. leaving the players with tears in their eyes. >> you win some, lose some. no big deal. >> reporter: while they say football is a game of inches, but the watts rams, for them it's a came of connections. building a team that is winning,

even after it's lost. >> our thanks to will. up next, the irrepressible julia child. how she brought french cooking to america's dinner tables. injectable cabenuva. nce-y cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness.

if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. alright, here we go, miller in motion. wha — wait, wait, is that a... baby on the field?? it looks like it, craig. and the defensive linemen are playing peek-a-boo. i've never seen anything like that before. harris now appears to be burping the baby. that's a great moment right there. the ref going to the rule book here. what, wait a minute! harris is off to the races! we don't need any more trick plays. touchdown!! but we could all use more ways to save. are you kidding me?? it's going to be a long bus ride home for the defense. switch to geico for more ways to save. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it's going to be a long bus it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic

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♪ julia child's name is synonymous with classic television cooking shows. she may not have been the first to boil an egg on tv, but she showed us how to have fun on television, and make fun of our mistakes. long before rachael ray or "iron

chef," there was the french chef. >> welcome to the french chef. i'm julia child. >> reporter: a pioneer in the history of television. >> we're making the stew of stews. >> reporter: and a revolutionary in the kitchen. fundamentally disrupting the way americans viewed and cooked food at home. >> it was a wasteland, american food before julia was kind of pathetic. >> i'm all ready to make fish. >> she really introduced americans to different kinds of food. she had a profound impact on our entire food culture. >> well, that didn't go very well. >> reporter: now, 17 years after her death, the life and legacy of you'julia child is on displa the documentary "julia

they've profiled some of the most barrier breaking women. the two making a name for themselves with "rbg." >> we were looking for another revolutionary feminist game changer. >> reporter: just like ruth bader ginsberg, julia had a secret weapon. >> she had a husband backing her the entire way. >> what is better than someone backing her in her personal life, and in her career. >> reporter: she married paul child and moved to france. >> first you need a big sole. >> reporter: where she had a meal that would change her life. >> it's one of the finest things in life. >> reporter: the first bite igniting her passion for french cuisine. >> our first meal in france was just a great awakening to me. >> reporter: from there, it was

off to culinary school in paris. a discipline dominated by men. >> women were treated pretty badly. teachers were all european male chefs. they would rather not have women in their kitchen. >> most women felt they couldn't have a career making money in food. >> reporter: she was inspired to co-author her now legendary cookbook, "mastering the art of french cooking." selling more than 1.5 million copies. but it almost didn't happen. >> they turned it in to the editor, and they said, no, thank you. the american wife will be frightened by this book. >> reporter: julia altered the course of television. >> i was a producer and director of wgbh, the public television station in the boston viewing

area. she made a proper omelet in a proper omelet pan that night. and the host was blown away by its lightness and its taste. >> after that, the station got a lot of letters, saying why don't we have a cookin show? >> reporter: the french chef was born. there was julia, unfiltered, and unafraid to show her bloopers. >> if she made a mistake, she was not remotely rattled. >> i didn't have the courage to do it the way i always do it. if you pick it up, who is going to see? >> she was on television as a middle-aged woman. let's hear it for middle-aged women. at a time when women were just showcases. >> exactly. >> yulijulia was not a particul remarkable beauty. she was middle-aged with

freckles. her hair changed daily. but you were mesmerized by what she was saying. >> reporter: a groundbreaker, becoming a female television sensation starting in her 50s. >> she never called herself a feminist, but she was important to the movement. >> we would go to a restaurant, and they would give us a tour of the kitchen. and she would say, how come there's no women in here? >> reporter: she was unafraid of controversy. she spoke her mind when it came to abortion rights. >> she came out very forcefully as an advocate for planned parenthood. >> welcome, i'm julia child. >> reporter: it wasn't until she saw the "snl" skit that she grasped the magnitude of her celebrity. >> now i've done it. i've cut the dickens out of my

finger. well, i'm glad in a way this happened. >> reporter: when pbs tried to sideline her, she found a new home in her 80s right here on abc. with a new sidekick, charlie gibson. >> talking to charlie was really a gas. because he obviously got such a kick out of working with julia and he talked about how she loved to flirt with him. and i think he loved to flirt with her. >> she kept going past everybody else's shelf life. >> reporter: what does that say about her? >> the thing about her longevity, she kept getting better. >> reporter: the master of exceeding expectations. up next, one of our favorite

christmas classics, starring our friend whoopi goldberg. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva.

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ho. ho. ho. it's santa. we got a problem. ♪ ho! ho! ho!

some things never get old, this "nightline" tradition.for - here's the night before christmas, as read by whoopi goldberg. ♪ >> hey, it's me. who whoopi. every year, i read the night before christmas. sit back, it goes quick. the night before christmas, the socks were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that st. nicholas could soon be there. the kids were nestled snug in their beds. and mama and her in my cap were settled in for a long winter's nap.

away to the window i flew like a flash, opened the shutters and flew up the sash. the moon gave the luster midday to objects below. that means it was so bright, you could see stuff. when what should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. with a little driver so lively and quick, i knew it had to be st. nick. that's right, st. nick. he whistled and shouted and called them by name. now, dasher, dancer, prancer and vixen. on comet, cupid, donner,donner,o blitzen. dash away, dash away, i said dash away, all. he's very pushy. up to the housetops, the courses they flew. with a sleigh full of toys, and.

then i heard the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. and i drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney, st. nicholas came with a bound. let's think about that for a second. do you think he asked, hey, make sure the fire is out if you happen to have a chimney. i think he does. i think that he emails and says, turn all the chimneys down, cool it down so i can come down there. these are the things i think about when i read this. he was dressed in faux fur from head to foot, and a bundle of toys on his back, he looked like a peddler opening his sack. his eyes twinkled, his cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry. his mouth was drawn up like a

bow, and the beard of his chin was white as snow. he had a broad face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. he was chubby and plump, no, he was plus-sized. and a jolly old elf. and i layoughed when i saw him spite of myself. and he spoke not a word, when straight to his work. he laid his finger on the side of his nose, and up the chimney he rose. away they flew like the down of a thistle. but i heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, yo, whoopi, merry christmas. to everybody else, good night. ♪

merry christmas, y'all. >> our thanks to the incomparable whoopi. that's "nightline." you can watch full episodes on hu hulu. see you next week. thanks for staying up with us, and merry christmas. good night, america.