As it heads into its first season of play, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is adding one big-money player to its bench: Major League Baseball.
This morning, Major League Baseball announced a “strategic investment” in the AUSL—the first such partnership for MLB with a women’s sports league—during an event at MLB’s Flagship Store in New York City with Commissioner Rob Manfred, AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng, softball greats Jennie Finch and Natasha Watley, MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, and four-time MLB All-Star pitcher Dellin Betances.
It’s a strong show of support for Athletes Unlimited, the multi-league mini-empire of women’s sports—including basketball and volleyball leagues—that launched its self-contained version of softball in 2020, with captains picking different teams for each session and players earning points for their individual play.
According to Jon Patricof, AU’s CEO, who co-founded the company with Jonathan Soros in 2020, conversations with MLB began in AU’s earliest days and accelerated in early 2024 with help from advisors at CAA Evolution.
“In some ways, it’s happened very quickly, and in others, it’s taken now a number of years to build a good trust and a reputation,” Patricof said. “The way AU has conducted itself since back in 2020 has been important and helpful, building great relationships with the players, and then, over time, building piece by piece a relationship with ESPN, a relationship with Little League Softball, and a good working relationship with MLB.”
While MLB’s financial backing will help the AUSL with operational costs and growth efforts, baseball plans to use its marketing, events, distribution, editorial, digital and social platforms, and content to increase the AUSL’s profile. The league plans to enhance the AUSL’s broadcast schedule by airing games on MLB Network and MLB.TV.
The AUSL and its athletes will also be part of MLB events including All-Star weekend and the postseason, as well as developmental efforts including its Play Ball initiative to boost youth baseball and softball participation; its Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program; Youth Academies and events, including Elite Development Invitational (EDI); and Breakthrough Series.