On March 3, 2020, Jonathan Soros and Jon Patricof launched Athletes Unlimited, a bold, athlete-driven model that could challenge convention and reimagine what professional sports could be.

Athletes Unlimited Key Milestones, 2020–2026

2020: Athletes Unlimited launched professional softball, its first sports competition, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Athletes Unlimited launched the first professional women’s indoor volleyball league in the United States.

2022: Athletes Unlimited created a domestic professional basketball option for WNBA players, who traditionally played overseas in the offseason. Within its first three years, Athletes Unlimited launched professional leagues in four sports: softball, volleyball, lacrosse, and basketball. It also became the first professional sports league organized as a Public Benefit Corporation.

2023: Athletes Unlimited became the first U.S.-based professional sports league to achieve carbon neutrality.

2024: Athletes Unlimited announced the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) and named Kim Ng, the former Major League Baseball executive and first female General Manager, as Senior Advisor.

2025: Kim Ng became the AUSL’s inaugural Commissioner, and Major League Baseball (MLB) made a strategic investment in the league. The Talons won the inaugural AUSL Championship.

2026: The AUSL established six permanent home markets for its first home-market season:

• Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Bandits)
• Durham, North Carolina (Carolina Blaze)
• Portland, Oregon (Portland Cascade)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City Spark)
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah Talons)
• Round Rock, Texas (Texas Volts)

The AUSL Championship became the first professional softball game ever broadcast on ABC, and the Utah Talons won their second consecutive title. Through 2026, the Athletes Unlimited Athlete Causes program has generated more than $3 million in donations to over 250 nonprofit organizations.