As club, college and youth play continued to expand rapidly, more-entrepreneurial enthusiasts looked to turn player interest into spectator dollars. In 2012, the American Ultimate Disc League became the first professional Ultimate league, followed the next year by Major League Ultimate. The two ran in parallel through 2016, when MLU folded; AUDL has sustained play through 2019 and expanded from 8 teams in 2012 to 21 teams in 2019. Although the AUDL's popularity continues to grow, the USA Ultimate Club Division is still viewed as the sport's highest level of play.