ESPN Adds Softball and Lacrosse from Pro League Women’s Athletes Unlimited

Hosting hundreds of college softball and women’s lacrosse games each spring, ESPN will also become a destination for professional versions of the sport.

The Disney-owned sports brand has signed a two-year deal with emerging professional athletes to watch and stream more than 160 matches across a variety of platforms. Out of the full list of games, 34 will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2, and 56 on ESPNU. Others go to ESPN+ like the four-episode unwritten series, Going Professional: Unlimited Lacrosse for Athletes.

Starting in 2020 with a focus on softball, Athletes Unlimited has since moved to lacrosse, volleyball and basketball using a unique player-focused format. Athletes Unlimited focuses on individual athletes and, most importantly, the regular season, rather than training players to go to games and determine the ultimate winner in the playoff rounds. Weekly programs are constantly changing teams. Players battle for individual points, one of which becomes the individual champion at the end of the five-week season. The strategy seeks to exploit the new nature of the sports cult, at least in some sports, which is starting to see individual players become more fascinating from certain teams or cities.

ESPN will also own the international rights to games on TSN Canada, ESPN Latin America and other platforms.

Beginning in 2020, Athletes Unlimited Softball will make its third edition in Chicago from July 29 to August 28, when 60 players will play at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, IL. Season two of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse will take place this summer, with dates and venues to be announced.

“We are proud to work with ESPN to establish Athletes Unlimited Softball and Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse as the two major professional sports leagues in the United States,” Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder John Patrickoff said in a press release. “This deal is another reminder of our presence as a major force in the professional sports landscape in the United States, as well as ESPN’s commitment to women’s sports.”

Prior to founding the new Pro League, Patrick was president of FC New York City, a professional soccer team partially owned by the New York Yankees. He was also the COO of Tribeca Enterprises, the father of Tribeca Festival and other companies.

Burk Magnus, head of programming and original content for ESPN, praised Athletes Unlimited’s “innovative approach” to women’s professional sports. We look forward to seeing these world-class softball and lacrosse athletes perform as part of our longstanding commitment to women’s sports.

Currently, 31 players from 2021 have re-signed to the league for the 2022 Athlletes Unlimited Softball season, including 12 Olympic athletes from four countries.