When ABC this Saturday shows the first game in the annual championship series of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, it will do so with a few special guests in tow.
Woody and Jessie, the famous “Toy Story” characters, will lead a pregame parade featuring youth softball players, and also take part in the ceremonial first pitch. Scenes from both will be included in the ABC telecast.
“Our mission right now is to grow this league, to grow our audience, to introduce professional softball and our athletes to folks across the country,” says Allie Kleva, chief growth officer at Athletes Unlimited, which operates the league. “Having ‘Toy Story’ engage with us just elevates the property.”
Saturday’s AUSL game will mark the first professional softball game ever telecast on broadcast TV, and Disney‘s extra efforts show the company’s growing commitment to emerging sports and women’s leagues. “It’s a really natural way to introduce the league to broader and younger audiences,” says Joelle Downes, vice president of ESPN and Disney Consumer Products Synergy, during a recent interview.
In a noticeable twist, ESPN will produce the championship series, something AUSL has done on its own in its short past. ESPN will tap 23 cameras, including three super-slow-motion cameras; a drone; and the Megalodon shallow-depth-of-field handheld camera. One player from each team will have a live microphone on them during the games.
The commitment is a significant one for a league still in its infancy. AUSL, which runs a 30-game regular season, launched in earnest last year, Major League Baseball is an investor in the league, which is operated by Athletes Unlimited.
Game 2 of the championship series is slated to air Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. on ESPN. If necessary, a third game will be held Monday and telecast on ESPN2.