Athletes Unlimited Softball is a women’s professional softball league founded in 2020 that provides more opportunities and compensation to athletes. Athletes Unlimited Softball came to Rosemont, IL for its fourth season this summer, and its popularity continues to soar. What makes the league so unique is that the athletes get to call the shots: they get to recruit players and create the rules of the game.
Athletes participate in five weeks of softball where teams change weekly. There are no team owners, and athletes share in the league profits. The inaugural season in 2020 was a massive success, and viewership soared. The league has generated a 56% increase in viewership over the previous year.
“Athletes Unlimited continues to raise the bar for professional softball, and we are thrilled to make Rosemont our home for both the Championship Season as well as AUX this year,” said Fischer, who chairs the Athletes Unlimited Softball Player Executive.
As a result of its success, Athletes Unlimited Softball announced a new two-week competition titled AUX Softball on December 21, 2021. The inaugural competition consisted of 42 athletes playing 18 games and took place from June 13-26, 2022, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23. Danielle O'Toole won the first AUX softball competition with 1,436 points, and Rachel Garcia won the 2023 AUX competition with 1,392 points.
What is so unique about AUX is that there is a point system. They accumulate during both individual innings and overall game wins. Each inning is worth 10 points, and games are worth 50 points.
After each game, the players and members of The Unlimited Club vote for three players who they thought had stellar performances. These points are added to the players’ individual total. The first MVP is awarded 60 points, the second MVP is awarded 40 points, and the third MVP receives 20 points.
The final component of points is individual stats, where position players and pitchers earn points based on performance. For example, a single earns a player 10 points, a double 20 points, and so on. To add to the complexity, players can also lose points. If a player is caught stealing, she loses 10 points. A pitcher can also lose 10 points for every earned run allowed.
After the last game of every week, the top four point scorers are named team captains for the four different teams. During the draft, the captains are allowed up to two minutes per pick. Once a player is selected, their captain consults them for further decisions. Once all 60 players have been selected to a team, it is time to prepare to play ball.
The champion is the player at the end of the season with the most points. The 2023 season of AUX softball took place during June 9-25, and Rachel Garcia was the victor. The championship season will take place from July 28-August 27.
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