MLB’s investment in new AUSL women’s softball league is a powerful move
The explosion of popularity in U.S. women’s sports has led Major League Baseball to an obvious conclusion: It’s time to invest in softball so that it can eventually reap the financial rewards. Unlike soccer, basketball and hockey however, baseball lacks a significant pipeline of amateur female talent in the United States. From an early age, […]
The explosion of popularity in U.S. women’s sports has led Major League Baseball to an obvious conclusion: It’s time to invest in softball so that it can eventually reap the financial rewards.
Unlike soccer, basketball and hockey however, baseball lacks a significant pipeline of amateur female talent in the United States. From an early age, girls are pushed out of baseball and into softball. Over the last few years, MLB has invested in softball development at the amateur level, but has not been involved in professional initiatives.
Unlike soccer, basketball and hockey though, baseball lacks a significant pipeline of amateur female talent in the United States.
MLB’s reason for investing its time and money into youth baseball and softball has always been about building its future bottom line. When they get kids to have an emotional connection to what they call “diamond sports,” they hope that many of them turn out to be future season ticket holders.
Baseball’s popularity in America has become increasingly regionalized and the league has, in recent years, turned an intense focus toward finding new fans and finding new sources of revenue. So, when a longtime baseball executive took over a new professional softball league in April, it only took a few weeks for MLB to claim a significant piece of the action.
MLB has invested a roughly 20% stake in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), per two sources. The monetary amount is not public, but those sources indicated it is around eight figures. This isn’t a tepid, philanthropic donation to an up-and-coming professional league: It’s MLB watching the skyrocketing revenues in other women’s professional leagues and taking its best opportunity to get its cut.
MLB’s investment in the AUSL isn’t just because it’s the most established professional softball league in the United States right now. It’s because the AUSL is now run by Kim Ng, a longtime MLB executive and the league’s commissioner. It is Ng’s job to use the investment from MLB and increased fan interest in women’s sports to grow the league even further.
The AUSL operates four teams, which will travel around the country in 2025 before settling in home cities in 2026. Players are paid $45,000 to $75,000 for their 24-game seasons, and ESPN will carry 33 AUSL games this season.
“We had alignment with Athletes Unlimited in our conversations for more than a year,” Noah Garden, MLB’s deputy commissioner of business and media said in a statement to MSNBC. “After the dialogue began, Athletes Unlimited brought Kim on board, which just made the fit even better. We are putting meaningful resources behind this endeavor because a rising tide lifts all boats.”
The tide is indeed rising in women’s sports.
In 2024, the WNBA announced that it had set a record in league viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. The year-over-year increases reported by the WNBA — helped by the arrival of Caitlin Clark — are mind-boggling.
The United States Women’s Soccer Team continued to be more compelling than their male equivalent, winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States after the men’s team bombed out in the quarterfinals.
Then, in 2024, ESPN reported its most-watched regular-season season of college softball since 2015. The Women’s College World Series Finals attracted 2 million viewers, up 24 percent from 2023.
This year’s Women’s College World Series (WCWS) Finals begin on Wednesday, with a three-game championship series that will be broadcast on ESPN.
Investing in the AUSL is easier than MLB creating its own softball league, as the NBA did with the WNBA back in 1996. MLB’s confidence in this specific league comes from its deep relationship with its new commissioner.
Ng, 56, played softball while attending the University of Chicago. She weighed her career options after graduating, but saw few opportunities for herself in professional sports.
“I was really intrigued by getting into sports,” Ng said in an interview with MSNBC. “There weren’t too many models that were successful for women’s sports at the time. I didn’t think that I could be in men’s sports.”
To her surprise, Ng soon found herself climbing the ranks in various positions within MLB.
Baseball is taking a big bet on its women’s equivalent, trusting its own former executive to help it cash in.
An early opportunity with the Chicago White Sox got her in the door. She then had a 30-year journey as a team executive (including for the New York Yankees). At times, she served as a high-ranking executive in MLB’s central office. Eventually, in 2020, she was hired by the Miami Marlins as their general manager — becoming the first woman in baseball’s 150-year-old history to hold that title.
Three years later, the Marlins intended to hire an executive above Ng, and she left the organization. She’d spent her entire career quietly working toward having a chance to run an MLB team. Almost as soon as she had finally arrived in that role, she was told she would be demoted to second-in-command.
Ng drifted away from baseball, and Athletes Unlimited saw its chance. She had held nearly every job imaginable in baseball front offices by that point in her career, and her reputation and experience would help get the AUSL off the ground.
Many of the most powerful people in MLB have been strong advocates for Ng throughout her career. Some are behind-the-scenes executives, but no one has been a bigger champion for Ng than Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, who since hanging up his uniform after the 2010 season has worked in various capacities in MLB leadership. It would be difficult to find any executive whom MLB would trust more to lead a growing softball league.
Hiring Ng in April was a pivotal moment for the AUSL. Athletes Unlimited, which also operates a volleyball and basketball league, was formed in 2019. MLB had watched the league operate independently for over five years by the time it made its investment. During those five years, viewership and revenue in women’s sports has exploded.
By all metrics, women’s sports are on the rise. MLB watched the rocket launch in other sports, but has now chosen Ng and the AUSL to dig into the coffers of an untapped market. Baseball is taking a big bet on its women’s equivalent, trusting its own former executive to help it cash in.
Why youth sports insurance is facing a critical reckoning
Mental health has become another area of focus. Sports organizations are investing in coach education, launching awareness campaigns, and adopting digital monitoring tools to stay ahead of potential issues. “We partner with MaxU, which offers daily three- to five-question assessments. It helps administrators, coaches, and parents spot early warning signs,” Burks said. Link 0
Mental health has become another area of focus. Sports organizations are investing in coach education, launching awareness campaigns, and adopting digital monitoring tools to stay ahead of potential issues. “We partner with MaxU, which offers daily three- to five-question assessments. It helps administrators, coaches, and parents spot early warning signs,” Burks said.
UVA Orthopedic chair warns of rising overuse injuries in youth sports
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) Dr. Bobby Chhabra, Chair of UVA Orthopedics, raised concerns over the increasing number of Achilles tendon injuries in the NBA and tied the trend to long-term overuse starting in youth sports. “Thirty years in the NBA I mean, just looking at the data, they averaged about one Achilles tendon rupture a […]
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) Dr. Bobby Chhabra, Chair of UVA Orthopedics, raised concerns over the increasing number of Achilles tendon injuries in the NBA and tied the trend to long-term overuse starting in youth sports. “Thirty years in the NBA I mean, just looking at the data, they averaged about one Achilles tendon rupture a year and now we have 3 in like 3 weeks during the playoffs,” he said, citing the cases of Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, and Damian Lillard. Chhabra pointed to the year-round nature of sports, saying even kids are playing through fatigue and skeletal development.
During an interview on WINA, Chhabra responded to commentary from UVA alum and former NBA player Olden Polynice, who suggested overtraining is draining players’ longevity. “Your body ain’t got but that many jumps in it,” Polynice said during a national radio appearance. Chhabra echoed the sentiment, urging parents to reconsider the current sports culture. “They should be playing three sports a year. They should have plenty of time to rest, particularly during adolescence when they’re skeletally mature and they’re still developing. But that’s not the culture in this country,” he noted.
As youth athletes face increasing pressure from scholarships and NIL deals, Chhabra warned that both physical and mental health risks are growing. “There’s too much pressure on these kids now,” he said. He advised that early specialization can lead to devastating injuries and long recovery periods, which are becoming more common at younger ages.
Steelers Player Had Classy Move After George Pickens Bailed on Youth Football Camp
George Pickens’s rocky tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t end on the worst of terms, but his latest scrutinized actions may have further soured the Steelers fanbase’s opinions of him. Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May and has since revealed he “forced” his way out of Pittsburgh following his up-and-down 2024–25 campaign […]
George Pickens’s rocky tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t end on the worst of terms, but his latest scrutinized actions may have further soured the Steelers fanbase’s opinions of him.
Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May and has since revealed he “forced” his way out of Pittsburgh following his up-and-down 2024–25 campaign with the Steelers. The 24-year-old wideout now gets a fresh start in the NFC East, where he’ll be catching balls from quarterback Dak Prescott as well as trying to win Cowboys fans over.
A recent account about Pickens’s inconsiderate behavior won’t help with the latter: the ex-Steelers star apparently bailed on his summer football camp at Highmark Stadium at the last minute, according to TruEdge Sports, a company that specializes in youth sports camps.
It’s important to note that the company checked with Pickens after the Cowboys trade to see if he was still committed and would still show up to the event, scheduled for June 28. Pickens said he would, but allegedly backed out last week.
“Unfortunately, as of last week, TruEdge was notified by George’s team that he has decided to walk back on his word and is no longer interested in attending the camp,” the company wrote.
Thankfully, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth volunteered his services and offered to help run the camp in Pickens’s absence. A few other Steelers players may be joining as well.
George Pickens backed out of his Pittsburgh football camp last minute. Pat Freiermuth stepping in as one guest. Possibly other Steelers players as well. #Steelers#NFLpic.twitter.com/zTnaDzNhuW
The Steelers will no doubt be happy to put the drama-filled days of the George Pickens era behind them and are now jumping into a boat with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the upcoming season. What could possibly go wrong?
Families, businesses concerned about effect of tariffs on youth sports
By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Youth sports are a big part of Karli Casamento’s life. Her son, Jax, 15, golfs and plays on three baseball teams. Her youngest son, Colt, 7, plays baseball and basketball. The costs, especially for Jax, add up in a hurry. That’s why Casamento, 48, and her husband, […]
CHICAGO (AP) — Youth sports are a big part of Karli Casamento’s life. Her son, Jax, 15, golfs and plays on three baseball teams. Her youngest son, Colt, 7, plays baseball and basketball.
Many of the US’s most popular sports rely on imported equipment
The U.S. has been the largest importer of sporting goods since 2010, accounting for 31% of the world’s imports in 2022, according to a 2024 World Trade Organization report. Boosted by racket sports, China is the most significant exporter of sporting goods at 43% in 2022.
Fueled by golf, badminton and tennis equipment, Vietnam and Taiwan experienced rapid expansion in exporting outdoor sports equipment to the U.S. from 2018 to 2024, according to data from the consulting firm, AlixPartners. Vietnam increased 340% to $705 million, and Taiwan was up 16% to $946 million.
Tariffs of 46% for Vietnam and 32% for Taiwan could go into effect next month after a 90-day pause.
Hockey skates, sticks and protective gear are often imported. Same for baseball gloves and composite and aluminum bats, which are often imported or use materials that are imported, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Soccer goals, lacrosse nets and cones are often sourced from low-cost labor markets.
“You can’t get around the fact that a lot the stuff that we use in youth sports is coming from abroad,” said Travis Dorsch, the founding director of the Families in Sport Lab at Utah State University. “So surely if the tariffs go into effect and in any long-term or meaningful way, it’s going to affect youth sports.”
The Casamento family cheers for the Philadelphia Phillies, and that’s how Jax and Colt got into baseball. Karli Casamento called sports “a safe way to socialize, and it gets them active.”
But equipment has become a major expense for the family. Jax has a $400 bat and a $300 glove, Karli Casamento said, and his catching equipment is $700. There is an additional cost for registration for his travel team, in addition to what it costs to travel to tournaments.
“We’ve tried to say to Jax, ‘Well, you’re in ninth grade now, do you really need to play tournament ball? You’re not going to grow up and be, you know, the next Mike Schmidt,’ things like that,” Karli Casamento said, “because it’s just, it’s $5,000 a year and now we have two kids in sports.”
Tariffs may not impact all sports families equally
That effect most likely will be felt by middle- and low-income families, threatening recent gains in participation rates for youth sports.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation by sport, found in 2023 there was a 6% increase in young people who regularly participated in a team sport, which it said was the highest rate (39.8%) since 2015. An Aspen Institute study released in October showed participation for girls was at its highest levels since at least 2012.
“I’m really concerned that we’re going to spike this great momentum because families, who are already saying that sports is getting increasingly more expensive, equipment’s getting more expensive and they’re continuing to stretch to make that work, like this might be the one that just kind of puts them over the sidelines,” said Todd Smith, the president and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Smith was in China in April for a World Federation of Sporting Good Industries board meeting. He visited some manufacturing facilities while he was in the country.
“The ones that I went to are really, really impressive,” Smith said. “First class, high tech, like highly skilled. And the thought that tariffs are all of a sudden just going to allow a 10-plus million dollar facility to just pop up the next day in the U.S. is just, it’s not feasible.”
Low-income families were already feeling a financial strain with youth sports before Trump was elected to a second term. According to the Aspen Institute study, 25.1% of children ages 6-17 from households earning under $25,000 played a sport on a regular basis in 2023, down slightly from 25.8% in 2022. That’s compared to 43.5% of children from households earning at least $100,000, up slightly from 42.7% in 2022.
Youth sports participation has a wide range of ramifications for public health, said Tom Farrey, the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program.
“This incredibly virtuous cycle can be engaged if you can simply get kids off their phones and off their couches and into the game and they have a sustained experience into adolescence,” Farrey said. “And if you don’t, then you’re at risk for a range of health consequences, including obesity.”
Going along with playing on three baseball teams, Jax Casamento has workouts for his travel squad and also takes hitting lessons. The Casamentos turned a baseball trip to South Carolina into a family vacation last year.
Michael Casamento is a physical education teacher in an elementary school, so the family’s concerns about the effect of tariffs on the cost of youth sports go beyond their two boys.
“I work with a lot of kids that are a lower socio-economic status,” Karli Casamento said. “It really makes it harder for those types of families to be able to afford to play sports.”
VIDEO: Central Lady Cats Volleyball hosts youth summer camp
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Click the video above for sights and sounds from Central’s summer volleyball camp. Youth sports summer camps are alive and well in the Concho Valley. This week, the Central Lady Cats host their annual volleyball camp, lasting between Monday, June 23 and Thursday, June 26. Advertisement Lady cats […]
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Click the video above for sights and sounds from Central’s summer volleyball camp.
Youth sports summer camps are alive and well in the Concho Valley. This week, the Central Lady Cats host their annual volleyball camp, lasting between Monday, June 23 and Thursday, June 26.
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Lady cats head coach Julie Williams, along with her assistant coaches, teach the fundamentals and basics of volleyball to kids between grades four and nine. The camp is divided into three sessions, starting with fourth and fifth grade in the morning, followed by sixth and seventh and later concluding with eighth and ninth grade in the afternoon.
“[The Camp] is unique because a lot of [Central’s] middle school coaches help along with our high school coaches. [The coaches] are what make the camp go,” Williams said. “Volleyball is just becoming big. It’s big in this town, everybody likes to play volleyball, so we’re just here to provide a service to [the town] to help them continue to grow and develop in the fundamentals and just to really love the game of volleyball.”
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
McMinnville man accused of sexually assaulting family babysitter; More victims feared
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (KATU) — A McMinnville man was arrested for a reported “historical” sexual assault that allegedly happened between 2011 and 2012, according to Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office investigators. The sheriff’s office Special Investigations Unit began investigating the case on June 18. During the investigations, detectives said they determined that the suspect, Jeremy Roy Nettrouer, […]
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (KATU) — A McMinnville man was arrested for a reported “historical” sexual assault that allegedly happened between 2011 and 2012, according to Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office investigators.
The sheriff’s office Special Investigations Unit began investigating the case on June 18.
During the investigations, detectives said they determined that the suspect, Jeremy Roy Nettrouer, had allegedly abused a minor who was working as a babysitter for his family at the time.
READ ALSO | Salem man charged in connection with two sexual assaults appears in court
Nettrouer was arrested on Wednesday on one count of first-degree sex abuse. He was booked into the Yamhill County Correctional Facility.
Investigators say Nettrouer has been involved in local youth sports, both as a coach and a referee. Because of the allegations made against him, investigators say they are concerned there may be additional victims.
Anyone with information about this case, or about other potential incidents involving Nettrouer, is asked to call the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 503-434-7470.
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