At a minimum, this provides credibility and a strengthened financial position. The professional softball ranks have experienced lots of false hope before, but let's be hopeful!
From my perspective, softball already has some Caitlyn Clark type athletes - women who are head and shoulders above the competition. I don't think this was always the case for the WNBA, which was too often compared to the athletic performance of the NBA. It was simply not as entertaining as the NBA when it started.
Today, we have near zero ERAs, .500 hitters and an exciting fast-paced game.
The biggest remaining challenge is venues. There is so much energy in NCAA stadiums, especially this time of year, and that has not been the case at AUSL stadiums. It just doesn't look as good on TV with traffic and planes taking off in the background (not to mention being dwarfed by an independent league minor league stadium right next door).
If I ran the AUSL (note: they haven't invited me yet), I'd play at Love's Field or at an Big Ten or SEC stadium near a population center where you can pack the house.
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