2026 marked year of growth in AUSL viewership, attendance and more

The second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League concluded over the weekend, with the Utah Talons and superstar pitcher Montana Fouts repeating as league champions. However, that hardly signals that things were the same in the AUSL in 2026 as they were a year ago.

The league added two expansion teams (Portland and Oklahoma City), played in dedicated markets for the first time, saw widespread increases in fan interest and made history in softball broadcasting.

Commissioner Kim Ng acknowledged the league needed to “prove” itself when it began 15 months ago. Those things helped do just that, in addition to capitalizing on a general “thirst” for softball fans over the past few years.

A thrilling season on the field with several breakout stars helped, too.

“I think, quite convincingly, we are bringing on more fans who have not really even seen the game of softball,” Ng said in a postseason press conference Wednesday. “So really happy about those moments.”

Jon Patricof, CEO and co-founder of Athletes Unlimited, said Game 1 of the 2026 AUSL Championship Series -- which aired on ABC -- was the first ever professional softball game on broadcast television. He reported record viewership for a professional softball game, averaging 732,000 viewers for the Talons’ 2-1 victory over the Chicago Bandits.

Patricof added that the league saw an overall 150% ratings increase in its games on ESPN, while other national broadcasts aired on MLB Network and CBS.

Patricof also said there were 25 sold-out games, while league-wide attendance steadily increased into the second half of the season; AUSL merchandise sales were up 110% in 2026; and the league’s social accounts gained nearly 450,000 followers amid large-scale growth in overall impressions.

“This is not about any one metric. I think it's an overall sense of the growth, the momentum that we have,” Patricof said. “We have incredible confidence in where this league is and where it's going, and ultimately, we remain very focused on building a very sustainable and long-term business.”

“I could not be more excited about where we are today, where we're going, and really how bright the future is for the sport of softball,” he added. “And AU sees itself as a steward and big part of that growth, not just of the pro league but of the entire ecosystem [of women’s sports].”

Ng highlighted a “tremendous” rookie class this year, which included -- among several stars -- Reese Atwood (1.140 OPS), Megan Grant (10 homers, tied for second in the league) and Karlyn Pickens (3.26 ERA over 158 2/3 innings).

Competition was also fierce, with the battle for the final playoff spot coming down to the result of the final game of the regular-season slate.

“I personally take great pride in the idea that we have the best players in the world,” Ng said.

Looking ahead to 2027, Ng confirmed that the league will stay at six teams, though further expansion remains “on the horizon.” She also expects the teams to stay in their same markets for the “long term.”

One possible change is the addition of more games to the schedule, which Ng said is “on the table.” The AUSL played 25 regular-season games in 2026.

“We want to make sure that the foundation of this league is extraordinarily solid, stable and is set for tremendous growth in the future,” Ng said. “Having said that, we definitely want to just make sure that we keep this momentum going and keep our legs sturdy beneath us.”