The long time radio announcer wasn’t part of Apple’s plans.
Washington Wizards radio play by play announcer Dave Johnson has been behind the mic for over 25 years. He will continue to do so this season alongside Glenn Consor who is doing color commentary. However, Johnson will also lose his other major announcing gig: he won’t be back for DC United’s Major League Soccer games. He announced his last game this past Sunday.
The reason why is because MLS agreed to a new deal with Apple, starting next year. All games will only be streamed online via Apple TV. While some games will be readily available, most will require a small subscription fee. Apple decided to bring in their own announcers, and Johnson was not part of their plans.
Johnson had a Q&A with Washingtonian magazine about the changes, which you can see below. It focuses primarily on his time with DC United.
While it remains to be seen what he will do with DC United, Johnson is still calling games for the Wizards in the meantime. His trademark “It’s there!” shouldn’t be going away anytime soon.