MLB's investment in women's pro softball league is a thrill for UChicago alum commissioner
Major League Baseball is making a major investment in professional women's sports.
MLB is partnering with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League — which is made up of the best pro softball players in the United States. Spectators can catch games in the northwest Chicago suburb of Rosemont this summer.
Athletes Unlimited has been around since 2020.
"It is just so fast-paced. It is action-packed," said Kim Ng, commissioner of the AUSL. "The athletes are incredible."
Now, the AUSL is getting a major boost. Major League Baseball announced that it is investigating in the league — broadcasting some of the league's games on its network, helping with marketing, and offering financial support.
"It's a day that I personally had been waiting for, for a long time," Ng said.
Commissioner is a new title for Ng, but she isn't new to softball. She played in high school, and s she was a Maroon at the University of Chicago — where she played middle infielder while majoring in public policy, the Chicago Maroon recounted.
After graduating from UChicago in 1990, Kim started her career in Chicago.
"I was an intern for the Chicago White Sox, and then I became full-time," said Ng. "I was there for six years."
Ng spent 10 years altogether with MLB. She advanced to assistant director of baseball operations with the White Sox in 1995, and moved to the New York Yankees as assistant general manager under Brian Cashman in 1998. She held executive positions with the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the MLB offices before being named general manager of the Miami Marlins in 2020.
Now, she's back to softball.
"Our spring training just started yesterday," she said.
The AUSL season begins June 7 in Rosemont. Four teams will complete in 24 games over the course of two months — launching pro softball into the limelight.
"I think it's such an incredible statement for the sport," said Ng.
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