Athletes Unlimited

Coming off an incredible Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball “Welcome Week” in Nashville and I’m more excited than ever that AU Pro Basketball is headed to Nashville in February. Let me tell you why… 🏅 We are going to be the first pro women’s sports leagues to operate in the city of Nashville! (Hard to believe that the 21st largest market in the U.S and one of the fastest growing in the country still does not have a women’s pro team) 🏀 Tennessee has one of the deepest and strongest connections to the sport of basketball, having been a hotbed for youth and college talent for decades. Being in Nashville, you are surrounded by women’s basketball history and so much passion for the sport. 📈 Nashville is a sports city and the appetite for women’s pro sports is just off the charts.   🏙️ The city is so organized in its civic efforts to engage with us.  From the Mayor on down, the city is so intentional about wanting to bring and embrace women’s pro sports. We felt all of that excitement, and more, this weekend, as our players and staff members met with so many new stakeholders, and community members. The way Nashville has greeted us, has been unprecedented. From our relationship with Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the Nashville Sports Council to local business leaders and community organizers, the city has embraced AU Pro Basketball with open arms and enthusiasm. Thank you especially to Scott Ramsey, Monica Fawknotson, Brenda Gadd, J. D., and Adrienne Siemers. While women’s pro sports are growing, there is still so much more untapped demand. Of the top 30 markets in the U.S., only 18 have a pro women’s sports league operating in them. There is so much potential for women’s sports to enter untapped markets. And if there’s one thing we can clearly see from this last year alone, it’s that the interest and demand has always been there – it’s up to us to meet it with opportunity.

Thank you to the city of Nashville for the warm welcome to Music City as we prepare to kick off season 4 of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball in February. It was an action packed week highlighted by a press conference, reception, basketball clinic with local youth, and meetings with local community and business leaders. Excited to bring professional women’s basketball back to Tennessee and share what we’re building together. ✌🏽🏀

🎉 What an incredible night celebrating 50 years of the Women's Sports Foundation at their Annual Salute to Women in Sports Gala! 🎉 Athletes Unlimited was honored to be in attendance at Cipriani Wall Street for this milestone event, which not only highlighted the remarkable accomplishments of athletes, coaches, and leaders but also celebrated all of the girls and women they inspire along the way. 2024 has been an extraordinary year for women’s sports, with sold-out arenas, record-breaking viewership, and major broadcasting deals. These achievements are a testament to five decades of tireless advocacy by WSF, who continue to pave the way for gender equity in sports. We are so grateful to be part of this movement! 💪💫 Amber Sabathia Sarah Francis Jessie Katz Cristina Alesci Ana Drucker Allie Kleva Jon Patricof Jonathan Soros Danielle Gaw #BeUnlimited

👏 We're thrilled to welcome Danielle Gaw, our new Director of Partnership Sales, to the Athletes Unlimited family! "I'm beyond excited to be joining Athletes Unlimited. The opportunity to join the growing movement of women's sports is a dream come true!" Welcome to the team, Danielle! Let's get to work 💪 #BeUnlimited

We're so excited to bring AU Pro Hoops to Nashville! 🏀 Our Director of Basketball, Megan Perry, and AU Pro Hoops athlete, Dorie Harrison, had a great time with the Nashville Sports Council at their 2024 Nashville Tip-Off Breakfast! See y'all there in 2025! 🤠 https://lnkd.in/eRA8rjH6

🎉 So well deserved! Congratulations to our Director of Lacrosse, Abigail Jackson, on being named the Bronx Lacrosse Trailblazer Award recipient for 2024! https://lnkd.in/g3-P3wsB #BeUnlimited

We are excited to announce our partnership with Sequel! The Sequel Tampon was designed by two high-level athletes and Stanford engineers who are building the products they wish they had on game day. We look forward to changing the game together 🤝

🎉 Introducing the Official Ball of AU Pro Volleyball! Our athletes worked directly with Baden Sports to create a top of the line ball, launching at hashtag #AUProVB first. “To have feedback from the top volleyball players in the world was magical. We are thrilled that the Matrix ball is being unveiled with Athletes Unlimited.” #AUProVB x Baden Sports

Athletes Unlimited is getting ready to serve up its fourth season of AU Volleyball, the month-long pro league that’s changed the game for the world’s top women volleyball players. 🏐 • While the sport is already highly popular in other countries, new U.S. pro leagues can offer American exposure through media, marketing, and sponsorship. 💰 • AU’s director of volleyball Cassidy Lichtman spoke with The GIST on Wednesday about the company’s winning strategy as a pioneer in the volleyball space, especially with two new U.S. pro volleyball leagues joining AU this year. 👀 • Lichtman noted AU started with softball and volleyball because these sports had “a lot of growth potential on the women’s sports side,” and the absence of a pro volleyball league created an “entire open space.” Domestic numbers backed up AU’s mission: Both sports have cultivated strong collegiate pipelines yet had no U.S. pro leagues at the time of AU’s launch. 🤔 • Despite volleyball’s universal popularity — Lichtman said there’s almost 1B global players and noted avid fandom in Thailand and Japan — minimal coverage has limited pro fandom stateside. This is changing fast, however, as ESPN just signed a multiyear deal with AU last season. 📺 • While AU Volleyball began play alone in 2021, there are now two other major players in the space. This January, the Pro Volleyball Federation kicked off and reset pro volleyball’s attendance record three times, while League One Volleyball (LOVB Pro) is set to launch — with 75% of Team USA committed to the league — next January. 🙌 • LOVB Pro and the PVF clash on the calendar, but AU’s autumn season allows players from both leagues to join in. This includes Thai fan favorite Nootsara Tomkom, who played in the PVF this season and is now entering her third AU season. Notably, a third of the league’s audience comes from her home country, per Lichtman. 🇹🇭 • Though pro leagues exist throughout the world, playing stateside gives players unique access to American audiences, networks, and brands. Athletes are recognizing opportunity in the U.S., but sponsors should come next — especially when it comes to AU, which has four leagues brands can activate around. Time to attack. 📈

Excited to share that our Director of Basketball, Megan Perry, will be joining Sportico RISE on October 23rd at the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) Headquarters in NYC! #BeUnlimited