Osterman and Swoopes Join AU Advisory Board

Athletes Unlimited will again spend the softball summer in Rosemont, Illinois, but the organization added considerable Houston-area gravitas by announcing inaugural AU champion Cat Osterman and basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes have joined the organization’s Advisory Board. 

Osterman lent the new league instant credibility when she signed for the opening season in 2020, and she looked every bit the former Olympic gold medalist in cruising to the title under a format that crowns an individual champion based on points accrued from individual and team performance. Although it initially appeared likely to be a one-year stay, as she tuned up for the delayed 2020 Olympics, Osterman enjoyed the competition and organization to such a degree that she delayed her retirement to return for a second season after the rescheduled Olympics in 2021. 

“I am very honored and excited to be part of the Athletes Unlimited Advisory Board,” Osterman said in a statement. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing in the first two seasons of Athletes Unlimited, and always expressed a desire to stay involved once I hung up the cleats. “I can’t wait to be part of the Board and continue to support Athletes Unlimited and its innovative ideas.”

 Swoopes is also familiar with the AU universe. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame who led Texas Tech to an NCAA title, the Houston Comets to four WNBA titles and Team USA to three gold medals, she is one of the voices of AU basketball as a broadcast analyst. 

“It is truly an honor to be a part of the Athletes Unlimited Advisory Board,” Swoopes said in a statement. “I believe in everything AU stands for and represents, especially when it comes to female athletes. I look forward to using my voice to help further more opportunities for women in sports.”

The two icons join a number of high-profile members of the Athletes Unlimited Advisory Board, including Olympic gold medalist and softball legend Jessica Mendoza, former U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach, Grand Slam winner and longtime No. 1 player Caroline Wozniacki, International Olympic Committee member and four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero, Olympic medalist and volleyball standout Jordan Larson and NBA star Kevin Durant. 

Additionally, Advisory Board members Rich Kleiman and Katrina Adams will join Players Executive Committee members Natasha Cloud (basketball) and Lindsey McKone (lacrosse), along with current AU athletes, in ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. 

The second season of AUX begins June 9 in Rosemont, followed by the fourth championship season on July 28.