How fast is women's softball growing in the US? There are two pro leagues now

It’s no secret that softball is growing.

For the past couple of years, the sport at the college level has broken viewership and attendance records. Naturally, a rise in media coverage followed.

But what’s most exciting about the sport’s growth is the rise in opportunities for players to keep playing.

There are now two professional leagues that the sports’ top collegiate stars are being recruited into — Athletes Unlimited and Women’s Professional Fastpitch. Athletes Unlimited announced a multi-year rights agreement last year to air games on ESPN, growing exposure at a crucial time for the sport.

Players are now having to decide which league to play for, and that’s a good thing.

Former UCLA softball star Megan Faraimo told The Associated Press this month she chose to sign with AU because it was a “better fit.” She said she knew some of the players from the Team USA program and liked what she saw on ESPN-aired games.

Last year, former University of Oklahoma record-setter Jocelyn Alo had a similar decision to make. The all-time NCAA Division I home-run leader (122) and Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Women’s College World Series eventually signed with the WPF’s Oklahoma City Sparks.

“I’m excited for players who want to continue to play that they’ll have the opportunity and even little girls in the stands will now say, ‘Oh, now I can become a professional softball player,’” Alo told AP. Speaking about softball, she added, “I think it’s going in a really good direction.”

That was in 2022, when the World Series welcomed the largest crowd in tournament history to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. An estimated 12,533 fans attended the Session 4 matchups between No. 1 Oklahoma and unseeded Texas, and No. 14 Florida and No. 7 Oklahoma State, according to Just Women's Sports.

The 2023 WCWS championship series — which concluded with Oklahoma defeating Florida State for a three-peat — averaged 1.6 million viewers, The Athletic reported, citing ESPN’s count. Viewership peaked at 2.3 million, which marked a 7% increase from 2022. The championship series also averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2022, topping the Men’s College World Series finals ratings that year.

With the college softball season over, all eyes now will turn to the professional leagues.

Athletes Unlimited, in its fourth year, featured a two-season called AUX that concluded this week and will resume on July 28 for a month-long regular season. The WPF’s season is in full swing. Games are scheduled through the first week of August and feature four teams — the Oklahoma City Spark, Austin Smoke, USSSA Pride and Smash It Sports Vipers — with dates for post-season play still pending.

Right now, no New Jersey-bred players are listed on rosters posted on either league’s website. But, with the growth of the sport accelerating, it’s only a matter of time before that hype hits the Garden State.

It’s likely both leagues will continue growing as the college game continues to thrive. Some officials — including USA Softball executive director Craig Cress — envision the two leagues working together in the future to help continue growing the game.

Women & Sport is a NorthJersey.com column devoted to female athletes from the rec league level to those in college and the pros. If you've got a tip on an athlete from North Jersey who should be noted in the column, no matter how young they are or how old, please drop me a line at anzidei@northjersey.com.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Two pro softball leagues now available for college prospects