MLS team president Danita Johnson talks sustaining growth amid $775 million valuation and record attendance

Before her current role, Johnson had worked for years in basketball with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. During her time with both organizations, she learned what operational excellence in the business of sports looks like. 

“Working in the WNBA and NBA family, you’re going to get some of the best of the best business practices,” Johnson said during a mainstage interview at Fortune’s COO Summit in Middleburg, Va. on Monday.

Johnson said her most recent role as the president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Sparks was highly relevant to MLS because both leagues are amid a major rise in popularity. 

“The business itself, nonetheless, sat in a very similar spot where it needed transformation, where it needed change and growth opportunities—specifically with the World Cup coming in 2026,” Johnson said, comparing the WNBA to MLS. 

Both leagues were founded almost 30 years ago, but have lived in the shadow of more popular sports. For the WNBA, it was men’s basketball and the NBA. Meanwhile, the MLS struggled because soccer is not among the most followed sports in the U.S.—although that is starting to change. 

MLS teams are drawing in record crowds that are often too large for their own stadiums to accommodate. On Monday, the league announced an all-time attendance record of more than 11 million fans over the course of the regular season. Fan attendance can serve as an important bellwether of the league’s popularity because it points to the fact that fans are willing to pay to engage with the MLS. 

“Having surpassed our record attendance with 16 matches left to be played in the regular season is a testament to the incredible momentum behind MLS and how we continue to push the boundaries of where we can go as a League,” MLS executive vice president and chief club performance officer Chris McGowan told Fortune in a statement. 

Success for MLS

Those attendance numbers are also translating to soaring valuations for franchises. As of May, DC United is valued at roughly $775 million, according to Forbes, an 11% increase from the year before. 

For Johnson, the key to sustaining that growth is infusing the club with a healthy dose of technology. During her mainstage interview, Johnson mentioned…