Professional women's softball players unionized Tuesday night and asked the Athletes Unlimited Softball League to voluntarily recognize them, the first step toward a potential collective bargaining agreement for the 2027 season.
After a 2026 season in which the league expanded from four to six teams and saw its first game on broadcast television, players established the AUSL Players Association, sources said. Major League Baseball, which invested in the league in 2025, reported on its website a 150% increase this year in AUSL ratings on ESPN, a 110% increase in merchandise sales and sellouts in 25 games.
The AUSL -- one of multiple Athletes Unlimited leagues looking to expand the footprint of women's sports -- was created in 2025 after five years of running professional softball events. AUSL players are paid an average of $35,000, with top players receiving up to $80,000, according to the league's website. AUSL officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The unionization effort was spearheaded by Sports Solidarity, a consulting firm founded by attorney Harry Marino, who led the successful unionization of Minor League Baseball players in September 2022.
"After an incredibly successful 2026 season, we are thrilled to announce that a supermajority of AUSL players have signed union cards to form the AUSLPA," the AUSLPA said in a statement. "This is a landmark next step in the growth of our sport. The AUSL is a top professional league that deserves a fully professional system in which the league and the players' union come together at the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract. This model has proven successful time and again in other sports, and it will work well here. We look forward to the AUSL quickly recognizing our union so we can begin negotiations immediately and reach a first CBA well in advance of the 2027 season."