The GIST

Women’s Professional Fastpitch players voice concerns over alleged breach of contract

As covered in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the pro softball space has been thrown yet another curveball. Last week, several prominent pro softball players spoke out against subpar working conditions during the 2024 Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) season, which they allege breach their signed contracts.

October 09, 2024

Amanda Lorenz wins fifth annual Athletes Unlimited softball title

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More women’s sports, coming right up. After a down-to-the-wire, highlight reel–worthy championship weekend, Amanda Lorenz is your 2024 Athletes Unlimited (AU) softball winner, accumulating 1800 points to claim the fifth annual crown. Diamond’s gotta shine.

August 26, 2024

Fifth annual Athletes Unlimited Pro softball seasons wraps with championship weekend

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The fifth annual Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Softball season comes to a thrilling end this weekend, with 60 of the world’s best softballers jockeying to top the leaderboard and claim the AU crown. Championship weekend begins tonight at 6 p.m. ET and culminates with Sunday’s 5:30 p.m. ET season finale — here’s what to know before the first pitch is thrown.

August 23, 2024

College softball’s popularity proves integral to pro league’s success

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The fifth season of AU Pro Softball will reach its electrifying end on Sunday, when one of the country’s 60 best players will top the leaderboard to become the 2024 champion. From expansion to big-time investors, the league’s success reflects softball’s growth into mainstream sports culture — and much of that stems from the college game’s skyrocketing popularity.

August 23, 2024

An exclusive interview with AU Pro Softball’s Lexi Kilfoyl

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Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl played three years at Alabama and two at Oklahoma State — both WCWS mainstays. In her first pro season, Kilfoyl has earned enough weekly points to land within the league’s Top 4 for four straight weeks, thus allowing her to captain her team. We chatted with Kilfoyl about her transition from the college game to AU’s diamond, with her insights demonstrating the NCAA’s power to push the game forward at all levels.

August 23, 2024

Everything you need to know about AU Softball 2024

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Hope you have some extra screens at the ready — not only is today the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, it’s also the start of the fifth annual Athletes Unlimited (AU) softball season.

July 26, 2024

The biggest transfers ahead of the 2024–25 school year

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These players are already making waves at their new schools.

July 03, 2024

Sports Business

Athletes Unlimited names Kim Ng as senior advisor to new softball league

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July 03, 2024

Athletes Unlimited (AU) just recruited a major heavy-hitter to headline their brand-new softball league: MLB front office veteran Kim Ng. The longtime baseball exec and first-ever female MLB general manager (GM) is now joining the Athletes Unlimited roster as a senior advisor to oversee the development of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #413

Everything we know about Unrivaled, Seattle Storm investigation & WNBA draft lottery results, and NBA storylines

November 19, 2024

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Everything we know about Unrivaled, Seattle Storm investigation & WNBA draft lottery results, and NBA storylines

Hoop, there it is!

Today’s episode of The GIST of It is a hoop-tastic basketball three-parter, co-hosted by Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz. First, it’s all eyes on the WNBA, with the Seattle Storm investigating its coaching staff for alleged player mistreatment and the 2025 Draft order finally set.

Then, it’s the Unrivaled explainer you’ve been waiting for, as the brand-new women’s hoops league prepares to draft its 36 inaugural players into teams, plus a couple updates from Athletes Unlimited Basketball, who are making roster moves themselves.

And finally, there’s so much to discuss from the NBA, from LA Laker LeBron James’ continued dominance to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic season start. All hoops, all the time.

A big thank you to Aflac for partnering with us on today’s episode! Add Aflac to your team to close the insurance gap today. Learn more at aflac.com/thegist.