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Don Garber

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Don Garber
Garber at Chicago Fire office in 2026
2nd Commissioner of Major League Soccer
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 4, 1999
Preceded byDoug Logan
Personal details
Born (1957-10-09) October 9, 1957 (age 68)
New York City, U.S.
EducationState University of New York, Oneonta (BA)

Donald P. Garber[1] (born October 9, 1957) is an American sports executive who has served as the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS) since 1999. Garber is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors.[2]

Garber has spent his career in the sports industry in roles related to marketing, events, television, and league administration. Before joining MLS, he worked for the National Football League for 16 years. During his tenure as commissioner, MLS expanded from 10 teams to 30.[3]

Early life

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Garber grew up in a Jewish family in Queens, New York.[4] His mother worked as a nursery school teacher and his father was an accountant.[4]

National Football League

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Garber spent 16 years with the National Football League, finishing his tenure as senior vice president and managing director of NFL International, where he oversaw the league's business outside the United States, including the NFL Europe League.[5]

He began his NFL 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 television, special event, and marketing activities.[6]Garber played a role in the growth and commercialization of major league events, including the Super Bowl. He contributed to efforts to secure high-profile performers for the halftime show, including Michael Jackson at Super Bowl XXVII (1993), helping establish the halftime show as a major entertainment property.[7]

MLS Commissioner

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Garber was appointed commissioner of Major League Soccer on August 4, 1999, succeeding Doug Logan. Early in his tenure, MLS adopted several rule changes intended to align the league more closely with international standards, including the elimination of the shootout and the use of the referee's on-field timekeeping[8] In 2004, MLS eliminated overtime and the three-plus-one substitution rule.[9]

On December 7, 2001, Garber met with club owners at the Colorado ranch of Philip Anschutz to discuss plans intended to support the league's long-term viability. Among the concepts discussed were the development of soccer-specific stadiums, the creation of Soccer United Marketing, and securing broadcast rights to the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.[10]

Soccer United Marketing (SUM) was established in 2002 and manages sponsorship, licensing, and advertising sales for MLS and other soccer properties in North America.[11] The entity was created during a period when media rights and sponsorship values for professional soccer in the United States were limited, with the goal of centralizing commercial operations and increasing the sport’s visibility and commercial viability. SUM acquired the English-language rights to the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups for broadcast in the United States.[12] In 2016, CONCACAF selected SUM to market and service its worldwide sponsorship rights.[13]

Before Garber became commissioner, only the Columbus Crew played in a stadium built specifically for MLS.[14] MLS clubs increasingly moved into soccer-specific stadiums during his tenure. One of the earliest was the Home Depot Center (now Dignity Health Sports Park), built in 2003 to host the Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. national teams.[15] Additional stadiums were developed in subsequent years as the league expanded.[16] In 2026, Inter Miami CF will open Miami Freedom Park, with New York City FC and Chicago Fire FC opening new stadiums in the years to come.[17]

Major League Soccer expanded from 10 clubs in 2004 to 30 clubs in 2025.[18]Expansion fees increased significantly during that period. Toronto FC paid a reported $10 million expansion fee in 2006, while San Diego FC's expansion fee in 2023 was reported at $500 million.[19] When Forbes first released valuations of MLS clubs in 2008, the average team value was $48 million. By 2025, Sportico reported that multiple MLS clubs had valuations exceeding $1 billion.[20]

MLS adopted the Designated Player Rule following the 2006 season, allowing clubs to sign a limited number of players whose compensation exceeds the league's salary budget charge.[21] The rule enabled clubs to sign players such as David Beckham with the LA Galaxy and Lionel Messi with Inter Miami CF.[22]

MLS media rights agreements expanded during Garber's tenure. In 2014, ESPN, Fox, and Univision acquired English- and Spanish-language rights to MLS and U.S. Soccer matches in a deal worth about $90 million annually.[23] MLS also entered into international broadcast agreements and digital streaming partnerships, including a streaming deal with Facebook and Univision in 2017.[24] In 2023, MLS began a ten-year partnership with Apple, worth $2.5 billion, that included the launch of MLS Season Pass.[25] In 2024, Major League Soccer announced the launch of the MLS Innovation Lab, a program intended to support sports technology companies. The initiative provides selected startups with opportunities to test products in real-world environments across the MLS ecosystem.[26]

Honors

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Garber was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2016 and inducted in 2018.[27][28]

In 2019, he was named Sports Business Journal Executive of the Year.[29]

In 2023, he received the Werner Fricker Award, U.S. Soccer's highest honor for an individual.[30]

In 2025, Garber was named by Sports Business Journal as one of the 125 most influential people in sports business over the last 25 years.[31]

Personal life

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Garber serves on several professional and philanthropic boards. In 2018 he was appointed vice-chairman of the World Leagues Forum.[32] He is also vice president of Hope and Heroes, an organization that raises funds for pediatric cancer patients at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Don Garber". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Chatting with the Don of MLS". ESPN. March 17, 2011.
  3. ^ Silverman, Alex (August 26, 2024). "Looking back at the 25 biggest moments of Don Garber's tenure as MLS commissioner". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "How Don Garber Helped MLS Get Its Game On". Sports Business Journal. March 16, 2009.
  5. ^ "Don Garber at 25 years as MLS commissioner". The Athletic. July 24, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  6. ^ "The Soccer Don". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ^ "SBJ Unpacks: The Soccer Don". Sports Business Journal. August 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Foltman, Bob (November 20, 1999). "MLS keeps 32-game season". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ "End of overtime leads several rule changes for 2004". Soccer Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "Showdown at the AEG corral". Soccer America.
  11. ^ "Soccer United Marketing enters new era with all eyes on North America". Sportcal.
  12. ^ Longman, Jeré (October 21, 2011). "Fox and Telemundo Win U.S. Rights to 2018 and 2022 World Cups". The New York Times.
  13. ^ "CONCACAF agrees deal with Soccer United Marketing". ESPN FC.
  14. ^ "Don Garber: Truly an Honor". U.S. Soccer.
  15. ^ Smith, Chris (November 20, 2013). "Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Teams". Forbes.
  16. ^ Quillen, Ian Nicholas (April 29, 2022). "Nashville SC's GEODIS Park Will Be America's Largest Soccer Stadium; Here's Why That Matters". Forbes.
  17. ^ "Lionel Messi, Inter Miami's 1st MLS Regular-Season Match In New Stadium Set". Fox Sports.
  18. ^ Silverman, Alex (August 26, 2024). "Looking back at the 25 biggest moments of Don Garber's tenure as MLS commissioner". Sports Business Journal.
  19. ^ Novy-Williams, Eben (May 16, 2023). "MLS Inks $500 Million Deal for San Diego Expansion". Sportico.
  20. ^ Deen, Safid (May 8, 2025). "MLS has 19 of the world's 50 most valuable soccer clubs. Here's the full list". USA Today.
  21. ^ Wahl, Grant (December 3, 2014). "15 Years of The Don: Under Garber, MLS stayed afloat". Sports Illustrated.
  22. ^ "Lionel Messi Signs With Inter Miami, Starting New Era for M.L.S." The New York Times. July 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "MLS's big play". Sports Business Journal. May 12, 2014.
  24. ^ "Facebook signs soccer live-streaming deal with MLS, Univision". Reuters. March 10, 2017.
  25. ^ "Apple Embraces Potential of Sports Streaming With MLS Deal". U.S. News & World Report. February 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "MLS Launches Pioneering MLS Innovation Lab". Sports Video Group. January 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "Brandi Chastain, Shannon MacMillan and Don Garber Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2016". U.S. Soccer.
  28. ^ "Five Members of 2018 Class of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Announced". U.S. Soccer. May 31, 2018.
  29. ^ "SBA".
  30. ^ "U.S. Soccer Names MLS Commissioner Don Garber As 2022 Werner Fricker Builder Award Winner".
  31. ^ "Influence 125: The interplay of influence". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  32. ^ "MLS Commissioner Don Garber appointed Vice-Chairman of World Leagues Forum".
  33. ^ "Don Garber – MIT Sloan Analytics Conference".
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