Major League Baseball (MLB) has decided to capitalize on the growing interest in women’s sports by investing in a new women’s professional softball league, Commissioner Robert Manfred announced on Thursday during CBS Mornings.
While MLB has been a leader in expanding its sport internationally, its investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) marks the organization’s first significant commitment to women’s sports.
“We’ve been very engaged in the softball space as part of our youth participation programs. And the growing popularity in women’s sports motivated us to look around,” Manfred said. “We looked at startups, we looked at making an investment, and we thought AUSL was a great fit for us.”
Why invest in women’s softball rather than women’s baseball?
“There’s such a great softball infrastructure that exists,” Manfred explained. “A pipeline of athletes, we thought that we could get to the point of having a sustainable league much quicker with softball.”
Former MLB executive Kim Ng will take the reins as commissioner of the AUSL. In describing the potential of the new league, Ng pointed out that women’s college softball “routinely outdraws the men” during their respective College World Series.
“Having worked at major league baseball for ten years and having led that softball division, we were always trying to connect with the women’s side, you know, with women’s college softball,” she explained.
Ng also received a glowing endorsement from Manfred, who sees her as an ideal fit to guide the AUSL.
“Kim showed great leadership skills while she was with us, great managerial skills. I had no doubt that she had the skill set to be successful in a job like this.”
The new league is expected to receive significant support from MLB. The league will televise select games on MLB Network, MLB TV, and streaming service. Additionally, the league will provide marketing and financial support.
Fans won’t have to wait long to get a glimpse of the AUSL in action. The league launches on June 7 and features Opening Day games in Wichita, Kansas, and Rosemont, Illinois. In its inaugural season, the AUSL will consist of four teams: the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts.
Each team will play 24 games in a season that is set to run until July 23. The league will then hold its first championship game series from July 26 to 28 at the University of Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium.
Games will be held in 12 cities this year, before the league moves to a city-based system in 2026.
