蜜芽传媒

In May 2016, Monica Abbott signed a six year deal with softball team the Scrap Yard Dawgs that was worth 1 million dollars. At the time it was the most lucrative deal in American professional franchise history for a female athlete in any team sport.

It looked to be a game changer for the sport. But, two years later the Dawgs left the league they competed in - the National Pro Fastpitch League. Softball is the third most popular collegiate sport in the United States, attracting thousands of fans to the ground as well as watching home on TV. But the professional league is under financial pressure. There are only 5 teams competing and it's struggling to attract new ones - and new sponsors.

Cheri Kempf, the League's Commissioner, explains what happened...

Photo credit: Monica Abbott (Getty Images)