As the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is vastly approaching, the league is now in collaboration with Major League Baseball. (MLB). The MLB is investing an amazing eight figures into the AUSL.
Here, this is in conjunction with MLB’s continuous elevation of softball. In this instance, a wider promotional backing and visibility with games being broadcast on MLB Network and MLB.com this season.
Per Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof in speaking with ESPN, this is a game changer:
“It’s a watershed moment for pro women’s softball, pro women’s sports. This is a financial investment but also about a number of things that money can’t buy.”
AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng is no stranger to MLB as she made history as the first female general in the league’s history. From 2020 to 2023, Ng was the general manager of the Miami Marlins and spent a decade prior as a senior vice president for MLB. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred have long committed to the sport of softball with USA Softball and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
This partnership allows more eyes on softball because women’s sports are being watched in record numbers.
Opening Day for the AUSL
As mentioned earlier, the inaugural season of the AUSL gets underway soon. Specifically, June 7 at the Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. It will feature the Talons versus the Bandits. The Volts and the Blaze will play at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas, and MLB Network and MLB.com will broadcast it.
Overall, the four teams will play 48 games, and ESPN platforms will show 18 of those. The season will conclude in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Rhoads Stadium in a best-of-three series for the championship. Soon after, it will be every player for themselves in the AUSL Cup. Tickets are available for the season on the AUSL website.
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