At a very young age Chad Ricardo knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: a sports broadcaster and a unifier like his hero Martin Luther King. Through many twists and turns throughout his life Ricardo, now 44, was able to achieve his dream of broadcasting sports and becoming a unifying force in bringing people together: “This is what my style is today, unifying and uplifting communities in everything I do.” The youngest of four children, Chad and his family moved to Hampton, Virginia, when he was eight years old. After playing football in high school and college, he realized that “I always knew that I loved the game but I didn’t love it from a playing perspective.” Consequently, he decided to focus on academics, graduating with a degree from James Madison University’s School of Media Arts and Design in 2004.
Life after college proved challenging, with no connections he couldn’t find a job in broadcasting: “At the time there was no one on tv who looked or sounded like me, no role models. I wasn’t sure there was a place for me in sports broadcasting, so I went back to JMU for grad school.” Then came a stroke of serendipity: while walking through a mall he saw an ad that a local radio station was running a contest called “Who Wants to Be A DJ?” and even though he had no broadcasting experience Chad entered and won. “I was on my path now.”
Realizing he needed to make a change, he moved to Tampa and found a job hosting in- person events. He discovered he loved performing in front of a live crowd. After a year in Tampa, he decided to move to New York but with a stopover in DC for a year. That one year turned into 18 years, and he has never left.
More opportunities followed: the Washington Talent Agency, which throws parties for the bar and bat mitzvah industry, hired him. He started off as a dancer at bar and bat mitzvahs, then began emceeing. He loved it from the beginning: “Family means the world to me, and these mitzvahs are special moment in a family’s life.” He adds that he took to it immediately and has become the most booked emcee south of New York.
Despite his success in events, Ricardo never abandoned his dream of sports broadcasting. Fox Sports 1340 AM wanted him to do a podcast under their label and he started “The Ricardo Report” covering youth football, building relationships with 10 to 12-year-old kids and their parents. Later he could get interviews with Caleb Williams, Chase Young, and Blake Corum, having known them when they were young. More opportunities followed: a job working for the NBC Sports Washington’s digital channel by day, then as a color analyst for Monumental Sports and Entertainment, all the while still emceeing bar and bat mitzvah events on Saturday nights, which sustained him financially.
Then another challenge loomed: married in 2019 and with a son, Covid hit in 2020, and his work as a contractor with live crowds in sports and the mitzvah entertainment stopped. “It was hard on me but as a family it was a blessing because my son and I built a special bond because I was at home with him.” Through it all he kept showing up for his community by documenting local athletes and he finally landed an audition for Fox 5 Television, his second, and they hired him to start as a contributor for one day a week, (still freelance), followed by two and then three days a week, and finally full-time, 11am to 7 pm. During the NFL season he works Wednesdays through Sundays, off season Tuesday - Saturdays.
Ricardo reflects that it has been a 20-year journey that makes sense only in hindsight: He adds, “Right now I am walking in the path that I always set out for myself: sports and bringing people together.” He sees a relationship with what he does in mitzvahs to sports: “Everything I do is high energy, the fans are with me and we are throwing a party together.” Ricardo is grateful for the outcome of his long journey: “It’s a blessing to be so impactful in the community whether I’m covering a Commanders game or doing a mitzvah on a Saturday night, it’s the same thing, it’s all come together: sports and entertainment.”
From childhood, Chad Ricardo set out to blend two passions: sports broadcasting and uniting people. Today, that vision defines his career. After earning a media degree from James Madison University and overcoming early industry barriers, a chance radio contest launched his path. His journey took him from live event hosting to becoming one of the region’s most sought-after emcees, while steadily building a name in sports media. Now a full-time broadcaster, Ricardo’s work—on air and on stage—centers on energy, connection, and community. Whether covering games or leading celebrations, he brings people together, just as he always intended.