Athletes Unlimited

It was more internal.

It was more, like, what was, what was I striving for? And getting to be around the game again, um, went through Pepperdine men's volleyball, and then through Athletes Unlimited, I was like, "You know, I think I can do this again.

I actually think I have some unfinished business here."

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I had this cool opportunity.

After season one of Athletes Unlimited, um, it was, like, a weird time.

It was COVID.

But-

... board of directors of Athletes Unlimited as well, so, um, between playing pro and here and overseas and having a great career at Stanford, uh, this is gonna be a pleasure, uh, to have Cassie on.

Appreciate it.

So I gotta tell the story, um, how, how it, this came to be.

Like, what-- Like, you know what I mean? [chuckles] What made you go-

Hmm

... "Hmm, yeah, I, I'll do the pro league indoors for a c- for a couple years at Athletes Unlimited." Like, what was that decision? Because, uh, did the pain...

Was it just time, or did the pain actually, like, go, "Okay," like, "I, I've kind of reached my limit"? Like, why was the decision to retire, and then why the decision to come back?

Yeah.

Um, or just to say, how do we grow together? Like, one of the things I've loved about Athletes Unlimited is they have this athlete council where they ask the players what they want, and then they tell them flat out, "All right.

Just so you know, if you get this we will not have money for this.

Do you want that to be the, the give and take?" And then the athlete-

Is this a question of whether all sports leagues have these issues or is this just how this one has been run? And I think it's more about the way that this one has been run.

I keep thinking as we talk about Athletes Unlimited, AUSL Softball League, and that has had a ton of success.

Major League Baseball invested.

It's shown on ESPN.

Like everything had a major company attached to it.

They had a lot of money behind it from the corporate side and from the investor side.

I think Athletes Unlimited similarly, you know, Major League Baseball and they've refined, they've had more time, you know, they've been going since 2020.

So they've been able to kind of refine and see what works.

That is incredible.

Now, you were the number two pick in the first American or the first Athletes Unlimited college draft.

When did you first realize playing professional lacrosse could actually be a career for you?

Yeah, I think.

We just play for the honor and to be able to accomplish that dream and represent our nation because there's no... higher honor.

But professionally, I think it really didn't hit me until... 2021, that year, that time where I was drafted because COVID happened and that wiped off the previous professional leagues that were established due to funding and whatever else.

So when Athletes Unlimited started up the lacrosse side of things, we were the first draft class and the first season of it.

And But no one knew what like year by year it was like, OK, is it still going to happen? Are we still going to have a league? But that I didn't know until I graduated college.

I mean, we've covered Unrivaled and AU as well.

And like when I saw VB her first time at Athletes Unlimited, she was bricking layups there in the paint.

Like she really has worked and worked and worked and been on, you know, multiple rosters, been off of rosters before.

And now is at the point where, like you said, she is the identity, like the centerpiece of everything that the fulcrum of everything that they're doing is.

Professional league.

Athletes Unlimited.

Athletes Unlimited.

I mean,

it's unreal the opportunity they have financially now to make it a full-time job.