By Helen Bezuneh
Special to the AFRO

At the helm of D.C. United’s future stands Danita Johnson, the pragmatic and strategically insightful president of business operations. With a rich background in sports, Johnson is reshaping the soccer club and championing diversity and inclusion in the world of major league soccer.

Johnson holds the distinction of being the fourth woman and the first Black person in major league soccer history to lead a team’s business operations, making her one of the highest-ranking female executives in MLS history.

“I take a lot of pride in that,” Johnson told the AFRO. “In the beginning of this journey, I wasn’t like, ‘This is what I’m seeking out.’ I think it ended up in the capacity in which it did where the opportunities put me in very unique positions.

“To be the first in this role is one that I take a lot of responsibility in and I want to make sure I show up as my best and do my best in all the work that I’m doing,” she continued. “In addition to that, it’s about being able to bring my true self to work every single day and knowing that I have the ability to authentically show up as myself in my work and in the workplace, and create a community of inclusiveness for everybody.”

With 15 years of experience in the sports industry under her belt at the time, Johnson came to D.C. United in December 2020 after working for eight professional sports organizations in Tulsa, Okla.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Los Angeles and D.C. Prior to joining D.C. United, she spent six years with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she first served as the vice president of ticket sales and service, then senior vice president of business operations and, finally, president and chief operating officer. 

Under Johnson’s leadership, the Sparks earned WNBA team business awards for Ticket Sales Performance of the Year, Marketing Performance of the Year and Franchise of the Year. During her time with the Sparks, she launched the #WeAreWomen campaign, achieving a historic attendance of 19,000 at the Staples Center for a WNBA game. 

Prior to leading the Los Angeles Sparks, Johnson worked with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, where she led the Ticket Sales and Service department for the Washington Mystics. She also served as director of business operations for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017 to 2019 and director of ticket sales for the Tulsa Shock WNBA team from 2009 to 2013. Before that, she was the senior account executive of group sales for the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury from 2007 to 2009. Additionally, she held the positions of manager of community relations and account executive for the Bakersfield Jam (now the Northern Arizona Suns) for a year.

Since she assumed her role with D.C. United in December 2020, Johnson has developed a partnership with Howard University to host an annual football game at D.C. United’s Audi Field, spearheaded an unprecedented growth in ticket, concession and apparel sales and new attendance records at the team’s games, secured the club’s privilege to host the 2023 Major League Soccer All-Star game and successfully negotiated a deal with NBC Sports Washington and TeleXitos to broadcast D.C. United’s matches in both Spanish and English.

Johnson has notably revitalized the D.C. United Foundation, an initiative that aims to provide underprivileged youth in the DMV with the resources and opportunities to thrive via the avenue of sport. The foundation has spearheaded a range of impactful programs. These include an annual toy drive benefiting DC SCORES poet athletes, a substantial $10,000 donation to the local gun prevention non-profit Peace For D.C., and the heartwarming initiative “Christmas on the Inside,” a project dedicated to providing holiday gifts to children and families who have a member currently incarcerated.

“Chanel Mosely, who leads our foundation, joined our club about eight to 10 months after I started, and we tasked her with building our foundation and our traditional community efforts,” said Johnson. “For us, part of our core values are determined, committed, united. That liases to our community values and how we show up in the community. We think pursuit of equality for folks, the opportunity to teach about health and wellness, those are things that we want to continue to educate in the community through our community platforms.

“We know that’s part of the responsibility, specifically when we think about the neighborhood in which we sit,” she continued. “It is critical to make sure as we watch different stadiums and neighborhoods transition, especially in the Southwest, Southeast D.C. area, we need to stay connected. And we still need to make this a community where the people who have lived here for generations have an opportunity to have access and support.”

Community service is of extreme importance to Johnson, who is laser focused on yielding real results that contribute to the development of local communities.

“Foundationally, when it comes to seeking out community partnerships for us as an organization, it’s about having impact,” she said. “One of the things I always said when I came here was, as an organization you can write checks, do all that, but what impact are we having on people to help change the trajectory of their lives? The reason why I say that is because it often mimics sport. For many people who are athletes or maybe come from underprivileged communities, sports are their gateway out.”

“I believe our community work should also reflect a gateway,” she continued. “It should create a gateway that showcases opportunity, showcases potential jobs, showcases changes in their lives, showcases a view of seeing the world differently through the lens of sports and entertainment.”

Fueled by a passionate commitment to diversity and inclusion in the realm of sports, Johnson envisions a future where major league soccer management stands as an even more enticing and accessible career path for Black women, aiming to break down barriers and create greater opportunities within the sport.

“I think around the world, is very, very well known, it’s a global game, it’s the biggest sport in the world,” she said. “For us as Black women, it is really to know that you can go into non-traditional spaces. I spent 15 years in basketball. For me it felt probably more traditional in that space than it does here, even though it was still kind of out of the realm in some of the roles I had. Knowing that you can have that same level of acceptance and face different challenges in these roles.”

“But really, the fun part is you get to bring a little of your flair to it, too,” she continued. “You get to bring your essence to this game. This is the world’s game, it’s culturally driven, it’s diverse with so many backgrounds, so many ages. Being a diverse woman, being able to bring that to the table in every conversation we have, I say to other women of color and other people of color, people of all colors, be engaged. Try something different. Don’t fear the change.”

Johnson’s personal experiences as a Black woman have profoundly influenced her career path and leadership style, fostering a depth of courage and attentiveness.

“Early in my career, I had to be a very good listener because oftentimes I didn’t necessarily have the room to speak up,” she said. “I had to really think and learn to listen well. When it was time for me to speak, I knew I needed to speak with impact. So I was delicate in the words that I chose… . Sometimes I even do that to this day. Somebody will ask me something and I’ll be like, ‘Let me think about it.’ Because I know what I say can matter and have a big impact on my career and my life.”

That cautious approach served her well in her career advancement, Johnson said.

“Being able to evaluate and break down concepts or moments that were happening versus being reactive, I think, really started to set me apart because it helped me find my own pathway and my own voice,” she continued. “When I spoke, it meant: ‘She’s speaking because whatever she’s saying matters at this point.’”

Her journey has not been devoid of its share of challenges. As a Black woman leading business operations for a major league soccer team, Johnson has encountered skepticism from those who question her skills and expertise.

“Sometimes it’s not people saying it, but it’s in their actions, it’s in their questions, and some of it is really unconscious,” she said. “When it happens to you, with some of the questions you’re like, ‘Would you really ask this to everybody?’ I think, understanding as much as we may not like it, and I don’t agree with it, it is part of the process of time, getting people to buy in and believe and staying consistent in who I am and how I show up. I talk about it all the time, consistency, dedication, commitment. No matter what, I will consistently show up as myself.”

For Black women looking to enter sports management and anticipating similar struggles, Johnson encourages them to reflect on a fundamental question: What do you do in the face of challenge?

“It’s how you handle things you need to address at times and finding balance in that where you can still go home and sleep at night and be like, ‘I was still me,’” she said. “I do believe in the power of speaking up. I do believe in the power of change. And I know, as so many of our Black women, we often feel small at moments when things happen in the workplace or in life.”

But, Johnson said, sometimes you have to take those moments in stride and keep your eyes on the end goal.

“It’s not the trajectory of everything, so I sometimes have to let that small moment happen, but : How do I handle it the next time? Or how do I prevent it next time?” she said. “For us as Black women, I say to keep that in mind. And don’t let that moment change what’s possible for you in the future.”

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