Key Takeaways
- Rule42, a new sports technology company founded by former Intel president Renée James, is now among AUSL’s largest investors, joining MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers and Ryan Sanders Baseball.
- The company also acquired Softball America, rebranding it “Softball America by Rule42” and bringing the entire editorial team in-house.
- AUSL merchandise sales grew 110% and social media impressions rose 97% this season under commissioner Kim Ng, according to the report.
- This year’s Women’s College World Series averaged 1.6 million viewers per game on ESPN, the most-watched WCWS on record.
Rule42, a sports technology company founded weeks ago by former Intel Corporation president Renée James, announced on August 19 that it is making a significant investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. James will also join AUSL’s Board of Directors, according to USA TODAY. The move places Rule42 alongside MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Sanders Baseball and Athletes Unlimited as one of the league’s largest investors.
A Scouting Gap Rule42 Aims to Close
James said the idea for Rule42 grew out of watching her son Ryan navigate the amateur baseball scouting process before he was drafted in the third round by the Toronto Blue Jays out of the University of Oregon. She told USA TODAY that scouting for women’s sports carries even less infrastructure than the pay-to-play system men face, since female athletes largely have to reach a college program to be seen by professional scouts. Rule42 plans to build a free, AI-powered platform designed to give athletes an equal shot at being discovered by college and pro scouts, self-funded by James.
James pointed to the 2025 House v. NCAA settlement, which eliminated sport-specific scholarship caps and more than doubled the number of athletic scholarships available to women at the Division I level, as a factor increasing the need for better scouting tools to match athletes with new opportunities.
Softball America Becomes Part of Rule42
Alongside the AUSL investment, Rule42 acquired Softball America, a digital publication covering prospect rankings and news across the sport. The outlet’s entire team, including general manager Tara Henry, now joins Rule42, with Henry taking on the role of Vice President of Softball. Softball America’s top 150 prospect rankings for the high school class of 2028 launched on Rule42’s website this week and will remain free to access, while subscriber-only editorial content continues on the On3 network.
Momentum Builds Behind AUSL’s Growth
AUSL just wrapped its second full season, and the numbers point to expanding reach. Merchandise sales climbed 110% and social media impressions grew 97% this year under commissioner Kim Ng, per the report. Year-over-year television viewership rose more than 150%, with over 90 games distributed across ESPN platforms, CBS Sports Network and MLB Network. Game 1 of this year’s championship series drew an average audience of 732,000 viewers on ABC, the most-watched professional softball game on record.
AUSL CEO Jon Patricof told USA TODAY the organization is putting its full weight behind softball even as Athletes Unlimited paused its women’s basketball and volleyball leagues last month. “For now, softball has become far and away the largest part of the Athletes Unlimited portfolio,” Patricof said.
Softball’s Path to the 2028 Olympics
The growth comes as softball prepares to return to the Olympics in 2028 on American soil, adding stakes to the league’s expansion and the broader effort to widen the pipeline of visible opportunities for young female athletes.
Source: USA TODAY, Mitchell Northam, August 19, 2026, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/softball/2026/08/19/ausl-softball-america-rene-james-rule42-tech-scouting/91365447007/]
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
