Profile of MLS Broadcaster Dave Johnson

Among the celebrations, Dave Johnson had accepted that finding a taxicab would be impossible. It was June 30, 2006, and host nation Germany had just defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup. As Johnson signed off of his broadcast and left Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, jubilant fans had already filled the streets and were waving their flags on every street corner. Johnson was in awe.

“The sport of soccer has such a grip on the entire world,” Johnson said. “It was special to be in someone else’s country when there was so much joy… it was one of the greatest moments of my life.”

Johnson, 56, has been a sports broadcaster his entire life. He is the senior sports director at WTOP Radio in Washington D.C., where he also serves as the play-by-play voice of two hometown teams: the Washington Wizards and D.C. United. Known for his versatility, humor and signature catchphrases (“It’s in the net!”), the Gambrills, Maryland, native has become a local broadcasting legend.

“In a simple conversation, you can pick up his passion for the sport,” said Devon McTavish, Johnson’s color analyst for D.C. United matches. “The excitement you hear in his voice and the energy he creates is contagious.”

Johnson’s endless supply of energy makes him an indispensable asset wherever he works. When Johnson was a student at Towson University, Baltimore sportscaster Bob Bartell hired him for a summer internship. Without pay, Johnson did everything Bartell asked of him.

When autumn arrived, Bartell didn’t bother switching interns. The two formed a close personal relationship, and Johnson said that Bartell’s mentorship helped him make inroads towards what is now his beloved profession.

More than 30 years later, Johnson occupies the ‘morning drive’ shift of sports anchoring at WTOP, where he prepares for each day’s coverage at 5 a.m.

“To have the energy to be as creative as Dave in the morning, there’s something to be said for that,” WTOP sports anchor and reporter Dave Preston said. Preston added that Johnson’s creativity oozes into a playful off-air personality.

“It’s easy to just slip in and give the usual updates, but Dave has brought it every morning for almost 30 years,” Preston said. “He’s like a family member to us.”

Johnson chose his WTOP family, but it was his own family that gave him his first gig. Growing up, he called imaginary games for his mother, Mary Lue. She suffered from multiple sclerosis throughout Johnson’s life, and she died from its complications when he was a high school sophomore. Johnson, who himself was diagnosed with primary progressive MS last year, has long viewed each game he attends as a “cocoon of joy” within his world.

“For those two or three hours, you’re not worried about health concerns or any serious things,” Johnson said. “There’s no way to replace that feeling…. It still gives me the greatest pleasure.”

Sometimes, Johnson said, he takes a moment to survey the waves of cheerful fans that enter the stadium before a game begins. Watching these happy spectators, he said, is what reminds him of why he loves what he does. With stadiums empty for the time being, Johnson longs for the fans’ safe return.

But on that summer night in Berlin, there were plenty of joyful moments for an exhausted Johnson to marvel in. While the German fans prepared to party well into the night, Johnson was winding down the final days of a nearly nonstop month of World Cup coverage. His hotel was miles away, and there were no taxicabs in sight. Dave Johnson simply smiled and began his walk.