A new professional softball league built around player-ownership and a unique scoring system is coming to Chicago this August.

Co-founded by John Patricof, the former president of MLS club NYCFC, and Jonathan Soros, Athletes Unlimited is hoping to capitalize on both softball’s national popularity and a growing trend toward athlete empowerment. Both founders believe that women’s sports have been undervalued relative to their potential and that there are ways to improve upon the traditional model of professional sports, which relies on team owners and city-based allegiances.

Rather than play in multiple cities or venues, Athletes Unlimited will begin with all four of its teams based in Rosemont, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Individual players will earn minimum compensation of $10,000 and will be able to earn a combined base and bonus of up to approximately $35,000 over the course of the season.

Players will also earn 50% of the league’s revenue and receive profit participation for 20 years. (This means a player who participates in 2020 will receive a share of any profits generated by the league through 2039.) Such a pay-system is intended to incentivize and reward players who commit to developing the league. Player housing will also be covered, as will health insurance, if needed.

“Our league is very much about the athletes,” said Anya Alvarez, Director of Content and Digital. “We’re giving players the autonomy to make decisions about their sports’ futures along with empowering them financially.”

Additional sports beyond softball will launch in 2021. In making the decision to begin with softball, the league cited the massive popularity of the Women’s College World Series and the lack of professional opportunities for many of college’s most popular players. (The 2019 WCWS averaged more than 1.1 million viewers over 15 games, up over 25% from the year before.)

“We were just kind of dumbfounded with how the sport wasn’t getting more traction and more support from the outside, especially at the professional level,” said Alvarez. “There’s tremendous interest and participation in the sport all across the country.”

The inaugural season will include 56 athletes on four teams each playing 30 games over five weeks. There will be no coaches, and teams will be redrafted each week by the four players who earn the most points the previous week.

The scoring system is unique to the league, and is designed to allow for comparisons between pitchers and position players. The majority of a player’s points will come from her team winning games and innings, with additional points being awarded for individual stats.

The league is banking on the fact that fans are more interested in following individual athletes rather than teams.

“Take an athlete like Megan Rapinoe,” said Alvarez. “If she were to no longer play for OL Reign, her fans would still follow her on a new team in a new city. LeBron is another good example. His fans aren’t just Lakers or Cavaliers fans, they’re LeBron fans through and through.”

Alvarez credited the rapid growth of social and digital media with powering this trend toward player-focused fandom.

“More than ever before, athletes are able to own their stories and intimately connect with their audiences.”

Athlete-centered storytelling will be a major aspect of Athletes Unlimited’s strategy, as the league looks to both invest in and capitalize on the personal relationships their players build with fans.

While no formal relationship as yet exists with USA Softball, the league does have a partnership with National Pro Fastpitch, another professional softball league whose season will end before Athletes Unlimited’s begin. Many players will play for both.

“Ultimately we’re viewing both leagues as funneling into one another versus trying to compete,” said Alvarez. “Our goal is to provide extended opportunities for athletes to continue their play. We want to create a new way for fans to consume and enjoy sports, while providing more opportunities for underappreciated athletes to compete and make money.”

With regard to the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Alvarez said the league is monitoring the situation day by day and that they are not hosting any events with their athletes for the time being. Given their August start date, they will wait to see how the situation unfolds before they make any major decisions.

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."