On the latest episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table, a biweekly podcast exploring the intersection of sports, media, and finance through the lens of (mostly) female decision-makers, JaneWallStreet Executive Chair Deirdre Lester sits down with Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Commissioner Kim Ng.

In this 50-minute conversation, the two talk through a range of topics including:

Creating More League Viewing Hours Through Market Selection

AUSL pivoted from a touring model in year one to placing teams in home markets in year two (see: Portland, Salt Lake City, Round Rock, Austin, Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Durham). Cities were selected based on the fan response the league received during its inaugural season, along with several other factors including venue capacity, local growth trends, and operational considerations such as weather. But the six-team league also elected to deliberately establish a presence across all four continental U.S. time zones, which allows it to create longer nightly viewing windows.

“Because we're not cannibalizing [inventory] and having four teams [play] in one time zone where the start times are all going to be the same, [we] can spread [games] out over the course of the evening's calendar. [That enables fans to] see anywhere from four to six hours of softball [per night],” Ng said. “The feedback we've gotten from fans [on scheduling] has been great. They're saying, ‘I can turn on the TV, flip through the channels, and find pro softball on any day of the week, and then almost any time of the evening’. That has been personally revolutionary [for me] in terms of how fans are really consuming our games, and instructive for future scheduling.”

Needing to Keep the Game Moving

AUSL's game presentation feels polished for a property in its sophomore season, not just in terms of production quality but pacing. The league is using a short pitch clock to ensure it delivers a tight, engaging product for in-venue and television audiences alike.

“Something I learned with MLB and [saw] really incredible tangible results [with firsthand] is [the value of getting] through a game in two hours or less,” Ng said. “We have a 15-second pitch clock. [The] NCAA's is 20 seconds. We feel [there is a] need to get fans through [the game] so that they are enjoying every second, every minute of [it] and there's no downtime.” 

Converting Adult Participants into Fans

Youth participation is viewed as a leading indicator of a sport’s long-term commercial potential. While softball has a large and growing pipeline across the development ranks, the sport’s active player pool —and thus AUSL’s potential fan base— extends well beyond the next generation.

“After work, many people play in co-ed leagues, and they go out for a beer afterwards and talk about the play in the third inning that somebody made. So, [there is this] really interesting [opportunity for us] to try and capitalize on that [adult recreational audience] as well,” Ng said. When “casual fans see the game at its most elite level, [they always] walk away incredibly impressed.”

📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table on August 6. Jomboy Media CEO Courtney Hirsch will be our guest. 

Catch previous episodes of At The Table, including our sit-down with LOVB Chief Growth Officer Stephanie Alger, former Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Global Head of Sports Julie Souza, Head of Fubo Sports Network & Fubo Studios Pamela Duckworth, former Barstool Sports CEO & Mule Media Co-Founder Erika Badan, ATHLOS Acting President Kayla Green, former CEO of CBS News Wendy McMahon, A-Rod Corp Chief Business Officer & Minnesota Timberwolves Chief Strategy Officer Kelly Laferriere, and Rasenberger Media Founder & President Cathy Rasenberger on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.

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The Sports Advisors is a biweekly roundtable discussion for decision-makers, hosted by their peers, on the stories that actually matter and their second-order effects. It is actionable intelligence from senior operators who have actually built, bought, sold, programmed, monetized, and scaled sports businesses.

In the latest episode, The Sports Advisors discuss premium sponsorship inventory.

Monster Energy recently became the entitlement partner for Big 12 regular season football and men’s and women’s basketball, a deal that includes a co-branded patch on all team uniforms, fields/courts, and digital and social channels. Within 24 hours, the University of Kansas announced a five-year jersey patch deal with Ripple/XRP across all KU athletics uniforms. We explore whether the Big 12 and KU properly priced their new sponsorship inventory, why the value of a partnership extends beyond the rights fee, what the deals signal for the broader college market, and how technology could transform premium assets into personalized, dynamic opportunities.

As always, you can connect with a member of the JohnWallStreet Advisory team by sending a note to [email protected]. In fact, we encourage it!