Don Garber
Encyclopedia
Donald Garber is the commissioner
of Major League Soccer
, CEO of Soccer United Marketing
, and a member of the United States Soccer Federation
board of directors. Garber has spent his entire career in the sports industry, working in a variety of capacities in marketing, television and league administration. In 1999, he was named Commissioner of Major League Soccer after spending 16 years with the National Football League
as head of NFL International.
. Garber began his career at NFL Properties in 1984 as a marketing manager and became the League's director of marketing in 1988. In 1992, he was appointed the NFL's senior vice president of business development and was responsible for a variety of television, special event and marketing activities.
. His first move as commissioner was to bring the league more in line with the international standard, eliminating the shootout and letting the referee keep the time on the field. Overtime and a fourth keeper sub were the only surviving non-standard rules, and both would go after the 2003 season.
After the 2001 season, two teams, the Miami Fusion
and the Tampa Bay Mutiny
were contracted, which helped lead to the financial stabilization of the league.
Among his accomplishments is creating a consistent time slot for league games (MLS Soccer Saturday
), and
putting an emphasis on soccer-specific stadium
s, especially if a team is not subsidized by a National Football League
franchise, such as the New England Revolution
(operated by the owners of the New England Patriots
). He has also played a big role in the improving financial
shape of the league, which lost $34 million the year before he arrived. The league now sells more than it buys
in the transfer market; Garber admitted that one of his biggest mistakes was buying Luis Hernández
for $4 million.
He has been nicknamed "The Don" by his colleagues and the media.
, whose Crew Stadium was built by Lamar Hunt
in 1999. Despite this, the league was bleeding money at an unsustainable rate (34 million dollars in 1998). Garber met with league owners Philip Anschutz
, Lamar Hunt
and Robert Kraft
around the turn of the millennium to decide what future actions should be taken to insure the league's survival. Their decision was to build the sport following the model given by Lamar Hunt's Crew Stadium, and also added a few elements to what might appropriately be called the "Garber League Building Plan." One of the pillars of the strategy rested upon the creation of Soccer United Marketing
, a commercial soccer company with rights to all commercial soccer properties in the United States. This company would then be owned by all the owners of Major League Soccer and even if their MLS teams didn't make them a profit yet.
In 2003 another portion of the plan began to be implemented. This was the building of soccer-specific stadium
s for all the league's teams. In 2003, the "cathedral of American Soccer", the Home Depot Center, was built to house the Los Angeles Galaxy
, and both senior national teams. It was the second (behind Crew Stadium) of many soccer-specific stadiums in America, with four more built by the start of the 2007 MLS season. By the 2010 MLS season, two more soccer-specific stadiums will be in use, one of which is Red Bull Arena, a 25,000 seat stadium for the New York Red Bulls.
In order to address the complaints over the quality of the league's play, Garber & the owners embarked on a multi-pronged strategy. The first step taken was the creation of the MLS Reserves Division in 2005 that would give additional playing time to players not starting or playing much for the first team. Along with this new Reserve division the MLS expanded its team rosters to 28 from 24. This would give the league's teams more flexibility and ability to compete over the season.
. A maximum of two per year are allowed to be signed after two years of development play for their respective MLS team. Further increasing the incentives of MLS owners to invest in the mandatory teams is the increased portion of the transfer fees some of these players may bring, which will help a club's finances.
was the first use of the rule by the league. He came to the league in the summer of 2007 thanks to a record $250 million dollar, 5 year deal. This may be an acknowledgment by Garber and the league's owners that it needed a few more "marquee" players to boost interest and the long-term strength of the league in a quicker fashion.
, a new North American Championship tournament with a 1 million dollar prize, the richest ever for North American soccer. In the initial tournament, 4 sides from the Mexican league and MLS each will compete on American soil for the ultimate prize. It is hoped that this increased international competition will help develop American players to higher calibers of play and lead to increased interest in both American and Mexican soccer clubs.
, Fox Soccer Channel
, and HDNet
. Between them the league will take in approximately 20 million dollars of money each year and no longer be responsible for producing the games. This appears to be a key turning point for the league's financial state towards overall league profitability, which Garber has predicted by 2010.
, a multi-level marketing
company, for an estimated 4-5 million dollars over 4 years http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/newsissues/120106/index.asp?page=Sports. With a floor of $500,000 dollars per year for a shirt sponsorship, of which $200,000 goes to the League as a flat fee, this is thought to be a sure-fire way to increase owner's incentives to invest in their team(s).
Soccer United Marketing has further increased incentives to be in league ownership, as it recently sold the US rights to the 2010 & 2014 World Cups for some 425 million dollars.
Recently though that ownership has been dramatically diversified. In 2001, there were just three owners in the 10 team league: Philip Anschutz's Anschutz Entertainment Group
(6 teams), Lamar Hunt
's Hunt Sports (3 teams), and Robert Kraft
(owner of New England Patriots & Revolution). Since then the league has diversified to 14 owners of 18 teams under Garber's careful guidance.
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, CEO of Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing is a business to business soccer sponsorship company wholly owned by Major League Soccer and is responsible for the US English and Spanish broadcasting rights for the World Cup...
, and a member of the United States Soccer Federation
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
board of directors. Garber has spent his entire career in the sports industry, working in a variety of capacities in marketing, television and league administration. In 1999, he was named Commissioner of Major League Soccer after spending 16 years with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
as head of NFL International.
NFL International
Garber spent 16 years with the National Football League, finishing his tenure as the senior vice president/managing director of NFL International, where he oversaw all aspects of the NFL's business outside the United States, including the NFL Europe LeagueNFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
. Garber began his career at NFL Properties in 1984 as a marketing manager and became the League's director of marketing in 1988. In 1992, he was appointed the NFL's senior vice president of business development and was responsible for a variety of television, special event and marketing activities.
MLS Commissioner
Don Garber was appointed as the league's new commissioner on August 4, 1999 becoming Major League Soccer's 2nd commissioner, succeeding Doug LoganDoug Logan
Douglas G. Logan was the Chief Executive Officer of USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running and race walking from 2008 to 2010...
. His first move as commissioner was to bring the league more in line with the international standard, eliminating the shootout and letting the referee keep the time on the field. Overtime and a fourth keeper sub were the only surviving non-standard rules, and both would go after the 2003 season.
After the 2001 season, two teams, the Miami Fusion
Miami Fusion
Miami Fusion F.C. was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1998 to 2001. The club played in Lockhart Stadium, which was a former high school stadium converted into a soccer-specific stadium...
and the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
were contracted, which helped lead to the financial stabilization of the league.
Among his accomplishments is creating a consistent time slot for league games (MLS Soccer Saturday
MLS Soccer Saturday
MLS Soccer Saturday is a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games that aired on ESPN from 1996 to 2006. MLS Soccer Saturday was the first weekly presentation of MLS games, which usually started at 4PM EST. The program is sponsored by Radioshack...
), and
putting an emphasis on soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
s, especially if a team is not subsidized by a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
franchise, such as the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
(operated by the owners of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
). He has also played a big role in the improving financial
shape of the league, which lost $34 million the year before he arrived. The league now sells more than it buys
in the transfer market; Garber admitted that one of his biggest mistakes was buying Luis Hernández
Luis Hernández (footballer)
Luis Arturo "El Matador" Hernández Carreón is a Mexican football striker, the fourth highest goalscorer of all-time for the Mexican national football team, and their highest goalscorer in World Cups...
for $4 million.
He has been nicknamed "The Don" by his colleagues and the media.
MLS Growth
Don Garber appears to be following a much longer-term growth strategy than all previous soccer league commissioners of the NASL & MLS have taken. He has emphasized slow, steady growth of the league over many decades rather than attempting to force its way into the headlines (Beckham deal included) like the NASL did. Before Garber came into the Commissioner's office, the league had only one team in its own stadium, the Columbus CrewColumbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
, whose Crew Stadium was built by Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
in 1999. Despite this, the league was bleeding money at an unsustainable rate (34 million dollars in 1998). Garber met with league owners Philip Anschutz
Philip Anschutz
Philip Frederick Anschutz is an American entrepreneur. Anschutz bought out his father's drilling company in 1961 and earned large returns in Wyoming. He has invested in stocks, real estate and railroads...
, Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
and Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
around the turn of the millennium to decide what future actions should be taken to insure the league's survival. Their decision was to build the sport following the model given by Lamar Hunt's Crew Stadium, and also added a few elements to what might appropriately be called the "Garber League Building Plan." One of the pillars of the strategy rested upon the creation of Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing is a business to business soccer sponsorship company wholly owned by Major League Soccer and is responsible for the US English and Spanish broadcasting rights for the World Cup...
, a commercial soccer company with rights to all commercial soccer properties in the United States. This company would then be owned by all the owners of Major League Soccer and even if their MLS teams didn't make them a profit yet.
In 2003 another portion of the plan began to be implemented. This was the building of soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
s for all the league's teams. In 2003, the "cathedral of American Soccer", the Home Depot Center, was built to house the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
, and both senior national teams. It was the second (behind Crew Stadium) of many soccer-specific stadiums in America, with four more built by the start of the 2007 MLS season. By the 2010 MLS season, two more soccer-specific stadiums will be in use, one of which is Red Bull Arena, a 25,000 seat stadium for the New York Red Bulls.
In order to address the complaints over the quality of the league's play, Garber & the owners embarked on a multi-pronged strategy. The first step taken was the creation of the MLS Reserves Division in 2005 that would give additional playing time to players not starting or playing much for the first team. Along with this new Reserve division the MLS expanded its team rosters to 28 from 24. This would give the league's teams more flexibility and ability to compete over the season.
Youth Soccer
At the end of the 2006 MLS season, several more measures were introduced to improve the quality of play. The league mandated the creation of a youth development system, with U-14, U-15, U-16, U-18, U-20, and U-25 development squads http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_events_news.jsp?ymd=20061110&content_id=78269&vkey=mlscuppr2006&fext=.jsp. Further, the league said that any player a team developed could be signed without giving them up to the MLS SuperDraftMLS SuperDraft
The MLS SuperDraft is an annual event, taking place in January of each year, in which the Major League Soccer teams select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league...
. A maximum of two per year are allowed to be signed after two years of development play for their respective MLS team. Further increasing the incentives of MLS owners to invest in the mandatory teams is the increased portion of the transfer fees some of these players may bring, which will help a club's finances.
Designated Player Rule
Another new competition initiative the MLS undertook at the conclusion of the 2006 season was the creation of the Designated Player Rule, or "Beckham Rule". It is nicknamed after David Beckham as his signing with the Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
was the first use of the rule by the league. He came to the league in the summer of 2007 thanks to a record $250 million dollar, 5 year deal. This may be an acknowledgment by Garber and the league's owners that it needed a few more "marquee" players to boost interest and the long-term strength of the league in a quicker fashion.
SuperLiga
The latest competition initiative the league has taken under Garber is the creation of SuperLigaNorth American SuperLiga
The SuperLiga was an official North American association football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each country. The competition was sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
, a new North American Championship tournament with a 1 million dollar prize, the richest ever for North American soccer. In the initial tournament, 4 sides from the Mexican league and MLS each will compete on American soil for the ultimate prize. It is hoped that this increased international competition will help develop American players to higher calibers of play and lead to increased interest in both American and Mexican soccer clubs.
Television Deals
Commercially Garber has also made huge strides over a long period of time. One of the most important of those commercial landmarks for the league was the first-ever TV rights deals that Major League soccer agreed to with ABC/ESPN, UnivisionUnivision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
, Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer is an American television specialty channel, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australian rules football, but is now dedicated strictly to soccer...
, and HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
. Between them the league will take in approximately 20 million dollars of money each year and no longer be responsible for producing the games. This appears to be a key turning point for the league's financial state towards overall league profitability, which Garber has predicted by 2010.
Sponsors
Furthering the league's financial well-being is the landmark decision to be the first professional sports league in North America to allow sponsor's names on the front of jerseys http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06271/725842-28.stm. Real Salt Lake signed the first agreement with XanGoXanGo
XANGO, LLC, founded in 2002, is a privately owned international network marketing company based in Lehi, Utah. The company markets and distributes XANGO Juice, a blended juice product consisting of mangosteen and other juices, and skin care, personal care, energy supplement and nutritional...
, a multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
company, for an estimated 4-5 million dollars over 4 years http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/newsissues/120106/index.asp?page=Sports. With a floor of $500,000 dollars per year for a shirt sponsorship, of which $200,000 goes to the League as a flat fee, this is thought to be a sure-fire way to increase owner's incentives to invest in their team(s).
Soccer United Marketing has further increased incentives to be in league ownership, as it recently sold the US rights to the 2010 & 2014 World Cups for some 425 million dollars.
Recently though that ownership has been dramatically diversified. In 2001, there were just three owners in the 10 team league: Philip Anschutz's Anschutz Entertainment Group
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
(6 teams), Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
's Hunt Sports (3 teams), and Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
(owner of New England Patriots & Revolution). Since then the league has diversified to 14 owners of 18 teams under Garber's careful guidance.