MLB is going all in on elevating the women's diamond, with the men's pro baseball league reportedly making an eight-figure investment for an equity stake of over 20% in the brand-new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) — just in time for the venture's debut season.

Though MLB has a long history partnering with USA Softball and sponsoring initiatives in and around the game of softball, this week's AUSL announcement marks the baseball organization's first-ever investment in a professional softball league.

"We thought rather than starting on our own and competing, that finding a place where we could invest and grow a business was a better opportunity," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told the Associated Press on Thursday.

Along with the financial backing that will bolster AUSL's operations and growth plans, MLB is partnering with the new league to boost its visibility through marketing, sales, and content distribution across MLB platforms — including the airing of select AUSL games on MLB Network and MLB.com.

"This is a watershed moment for women's sports and especially for softball," AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng — who notably broke barriers in her previous career as an SVP and, later, GM in MLB — said in a league statement.

"MLB's investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved, and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them."

Softball legends pitch in to build Athletes United success

Athletes Unlimited has been active in the softball space with their unique, individual athlete-centered competition system since 2020, with AUSL marking their first stab at a more traditional league format.

Beginning with the league's first pitch on June 7th, four teams — the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts — will play a traveling 24-game season across 10 cities prior to a best-of-three championship series between the top two AUSL teams in late July.

With an advisory board of former college and Team USA stars — including Jennie Finch, Natasha Watley, Jessica Mendoza, and Cat Osterman — plus a roster of US softball legends-turned-NCAA coaches like Lisa Fernandez (UCLA) and Stacey Nuveman-Deniz (San Diego State) leading the four teams, AUSL is tapping the sport's best to build a strong foundation for future league success.

With plans to establish city-based squads next year, AUSL is capitalizing on one of the country's most popular college sports — all while creating a sustainable pipeline for current and future NCAA softball stars to turn pro.

The 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off late next week, as NWSL stars depart their clubs to join their national teams in the fight for continental glory.

Running from July 5th through the 26th, 12 teams from across Africa will feature at this year's tournament in Morocco, with defending champions South Africa looking to repeat.

One of the teams hoping to upend the Banyana Banyana's back-to-back prospects are Zambia's Copper Queens, captained by Orlando Pride striker and perennial MVP candidate Barbra Banda. The current NWSL leader in both shots and shots on target has eight goals in her club season so far, good for a second-place tie in the league's Golden Boot race.

Joining Banda on a Zambia side rich with attacking talent are Bay FC striker Rachael Kundananji and a pair of Banda's Pride teammates, midfielders Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya.

Other NWSL standouts making the trip include Ghana forwards Stella Nyamekye (Gotham FC) and Princess Marfo (Bay FC), as well as Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC) and defender Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash).

Notably, the nine-time WAFCON champs opted to omit Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday from the Super Falcons' roster — a particularly surprising move considering Nigeria chose Oshoala, who has yet to record a goal or assist in 2025 NWSL play, and uncapped UConn junior forward Chioma Okafor over Monday and her red-hot form.

Calling it "a tough pill to swallow," Monday wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that she harbors "no grudges, no resentment."

"I remain fully committed to cheering my country from home," Monday said, adding "To the incredible women who made the squad, go out there and make history."

"You carry the hopes of millions — including mine."

The Golden State Valkyries made a splash on Tuesday, as the 2025 expansion side debuted on Sportico's annual WNBA valuation list at the very top, leading all 13 league teams at $500 million.

With facility ownership and arena management playing major roles, that current estimate of the Valkyries' worth is 10 times the amount that the Golden State ownership group paid in expansion fees back in 2023.

Even more, the figure arguably puts Golden State atop all other women's sport teams worldwide, surpassing even the record-breaking $450 valuation set by the New York Liberty just last month. On Sportico's current list, the Liberty clock in with a $420 million value just behind the Valkyries.

The Sportico report also places the overall average value of a WNBA team at $269 million, a 180% increase over last season's average — and a figure that dwarfs even the $140 million valuation held by 2024 list-leaders Las Vegas.

Of all teams, the Fever saw the biggest leap, rising from sixth to third on the list with a valuation of $355 million — more than 270% higher than Indiana's $90 million mark in 2024.

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Valkyries poised to win the 2025 WNBA revenue race

The Fever also led the league in revenue last year with $33.8 million, though the Valkyries are projected to run away with this season's revenue title, as Sportico estimates that Golden State will bring in more than $70 million in 2025.

The Bay Area side already set a single-game WNBA record for revenue generated, making $3 million in their 2025 home opener.

Current calculations put WNBA valuations at an average of 12 times their revenue — the highest revenue multiple among all major pro sports leagues, including the NBA (11.9), MLS (9.4), NFL (9.3), NHL (7.7), NWSL (6.8), and MLB (6.6).

Plus, new media deals with broadcasters like ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime — among others — are on track to generate an average of $260 million in annual revenue for the league starting next season.

With Golden State proving that expansion can be immediately profitable, business — and valuations — continues to boom in the WNBA, as the league eyes even more value with the 2026 additions of Toronto and Portland.

The WNBA proved that any team can win on any day on Tuesday night, when all four games ended in underdog upsets, rattling the league standings.

While No. 12 Dallas quieted No. 4 Atlanta 68-55, Chicago was swapping spots with now-No. 11 LA, as the Sky snapped a three-game skid with a 97-86 win over the Sparks to claim 10th place on the table.

At the same time, Washington inched up from No. 9 to No. 8 by handing the league-leading Lynx a 68-64 defeat — just the second loss suffered by Minnesota this season.

The Indiana Fever also claimed a one-spot rise to No. 7 after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 94-86 defeat of No. 5 Seattle.

Bigs lead the charge in Tuesday's WNBA upsets

The overall stars of Tuesday's show were the bigs, as Indiana center Aliyah Boston put up 31 points, Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso recorded 27 points, and Minnesota center Alanna Smith dropped 26 of her own.

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell matched Boston's efforts with her own 26-point showing, as the pair helped Indiana overcome forward DeWanna Bonner's now-permanent absence from the team, as well as another off-night from Caitlin Clark.

Led by Arike Ogunbowale's 21 points, Dallas benefitted from an unexpectedly shaky Atlanta side that shot just 23.4% from the field — the Dream's lowest shooting performance in franchise history and the worst single-game showing league-wide since 2010.

After starting the 2025 WNBA season 1-11, the Wings have now won three of their last four games.

The Mystics also came to play, edging out the once-unbeatable Lynx in a defensive battle that saw center Shakira Austin lead Washington with 19 points while Minnesota mainstay Napheesa Collier rode the bench due to lower back stiffness.

Meanwhile, with 11 points with 11 rebounds on the night, Washington rookie Kiki Iriafen claimed her fifth career double-double — more than the rest of the WNBA's Class of 2025 combined.

How to watch Wednesday's WNBA action

Wednesday's late-night, two-game bill provides yet another chance to shake up the WNBA standings.

With both matchups tipping off at 10 PM ET, the ailing New York Liberty will visit the rising Golden State Valkyries, airing on WNBA League Pass, while the last-place Connecticut Sun take on the up-and-down Las Vegas Aces on NBA TV.

The 2025 PWHL Draft spotlighted the wealth of women's hockey talent currently rising through the ranks, as the league ushered in its third rookie class on Tuesday night.

With the first overall pick, the New York Sirens selected Colgate University alum Kristýna Kaltounková, after the 23-year-old Czech forward finished her college career as the team's all-time leading scorer.

"Coming from such a small town in the Czech Republic, it's a great honor," Kaltounková said after the announcement.

The PWHL's eight teams selected a total of 48 players across the Draft's six rounds, with 43 draftees coming out of the NCAA system.

Ohio State produced the most 2025 prospects with six selected players, after the Buckeyes won two of the last four national titles.

Of the five non-NCAA recruits, four made the leap from international pro leagues in Sweden and Russia, while one player joins the PWHL from the University of British Columbia.

With two of the eight first-round picks, New York played the Draft's most aggressive hand, trading defender Ella Shelton to Toronto in order to receive the Sceptres' third and 27th overall picks.

Due to that deal, the Sirens also snagged 2024/25 NCAA MVP Casey O'Brien, a three-time national champion and the Wisconsin Badgers' all-time leading scorer.

New York also traded top forward Abby Roque to Montréal before the 2025 PWHL Draft, receiving forward Kristin O'Neill and Tuesday's 28th overall pick in return.

With league expansion widening this year's PWHL talent pool, college programs have stepped up to fill the gaps as the professional game grows.