Episode Description
Let’s be honest: building a sports brand in LA isn’t exactly for the faint of heart. There’s just a wee bit of competition in that market, right? 11 pro sports franchises, 2 major FBS programs, Hollywood, Disneyland, about 20 major music venues, the beach, and more.
The good news? No one ever accused Stacy Johns, the President of the WNBA’s LA Sparks of having a faint heart.
Johns started out as an Ernst & Young CPA when she got an opportunity to work on an audit of the Indianapolis Colts. It was there that her sports business career both began and took off. After 16 years with the Colts, she headed West to become Chief Business Officer at LAFC, where she helped build the MLS's first billion-dollar franchise valuation.
And now she’s in charge of the LA Sparks, one of the WNBA’s founding franchises, where she’s been charged with re-invigorating the operation so it shines just as bright , and even brighter, than all those other LA stars.
In our conversation, we talk about what she walked into — a president's chair sitting vacant eight months - and why breaking through in LA isn't about out-producing the Dodgers. We get into her bet on cultural relevance over celebrity, and her case for why the franchises focusing on operational excellence right now are the ones that will win long-term in women's sports.
And one more thing: amid all the LA entertainment she can access through her role, Johns has carved out exactly one concert this year just for herself. John Mellencamp at the Hollywood Bowl. What can you say? She may an LA exec, but she’s still got that Hoosier heart.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved.
YOUR HOST
Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners.
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