MLB purchasing equity stake in fledgling AUSL - ESPN

Major League Baseball is purchasing an equity stake in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, partnering with the fledgling league that is preparing for its first four-team season and plans to expand further in future years.

With annual women's sports revenues now in excess of $1 billion a year, the imprimatur of MLB helps establish the AUSL as a viable long-term entity in a sport that has seen multiple professional leagues fold. MLB's stake in the AUSL is more than 20%, according to a source, and the league will assist the AUSL in marketing and content distribution in addition to the financial component.

«It's a watershed moment for pro women's softball, pro women's sports,» Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof told ESPN. «This is a financial investment but also about a number of things that money can't buy.»

While the NBA launched the WNBA in 1996 and owns around 60% of the league, no major men's North American professional sports league had made a significant post-creation investment in its women's counterpart. The AUSL is owned by Athletes Unlimited, which also runs women's basketball and volleyball leagues and has hosted softball events for the past five years in suburban Chicago. The AUSL will feature four teams and play in 12 locations this summer, and in 2026, it plans to establish teams based in cities.

«We think the time is right to get into the space with a credible partner,» said Tony Reagins, MLB's chief baseball development officer. «We want this to be not good but great. We want to create more opportunities for young women. Now they have something to strive for that's going to be around.»

Already the AUSL struck a deal with ESPN to broadcast 33 games this summer, and the partnership with MLB