Athletes Unlimited Founder: Why We Paused Basketball and Volleyball
Jon Patricof says the league is in “heavy investment mode” with softball.
On July 26, the Utah Talons claimed victory in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League championship for the second consecutive year, following a year marked by robust viewership and attendance for the two-year-old AUSL. Subsequently, on July 31, Athletes Unlimited suspended their upcoming seasons for basketball and volleyball, the remaining two sports within their league portfolio, which had previously encompassed lacrosse as well.
According to an earlier interview with Front Office Sports, Athletes Unlimited cofounder and CEO Jon Patricof expressed satisfaction with the performance of basketball and volleyball, stating that the decision to pause these sports was "somewhat independent" of the softball league's success. "But I think it's related in the sense that my role as CEO is to allocate capital, think about where the biggest opportunities are, and make sure we're pursuing them," Patricof remarked.
He clarified that Major League Baseball, which had previously invested an eight-figure sum in AUSL last year, did not influence the company's decision to halt basketball and volleyball. Despite AUSL's heavy investment in softball, Patricof did not dismiss the possibility of basketball and volleyball resurfacing in the future. "We continue to be active in exploring what the next chapter looks like in both of those sports for us," he affirmed, emphasizing that nothing is off the table.
However, he noted that the league's approach to basketball and volleyball might differ significantly from their initial implementation, driven by the league's success in softball.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
