Ray Ratto established himself as one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most distinctive sports voices through five decades of acerbic, witty commentary that revolutionized local sports journalism with his signature blend of sharp analysis and irreverent humor. Born in Oakland, California in 1954, Ratto grew up in Alameda where he attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School before graduating from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.
Ratto began his career in 1973 as a copy boy at the San Francisco Examiner, launching a journalistic odyssey that would span print, radio, and television across the Bay Area's major media outlets. He became a staff writer at the Examiner before moving to the Peninsula Times-Tribune in Palo Alto (1981-1986), then joined the San Francisco Chronicle (1986-1990) as a staff writer and columnist. His column-writing career included a brief stint at the ambitious but short-lived national sports daily The National (1990-1991) before returning to the Examiner as a columnist (1991-2000). Ratto rejoined the Chronicle from 2000-2010, establishing himself as the region's preeminent sports columnist with coverage of the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Raiders, and 49ers.
His transition to broadcast media came in 2010 when he became a Senior Insider for NBC Sports Bay Area (formerly Comcast SportsNet Bay Area), writing columns for their website while appearing regularly on "The Happy Hour" show until his termination in late 2018. Throughout his career, Ratto also contributed national columns to ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline.com while co-hosting radio shows on KNBR and KGMZ-FM (95.7 The Game), including the popular "Damon & Ratto" program with Damon Bruce.
Ratto's writing style, described by contemporaries as "savagely funny," targeted management missteps and league absurdities with a malleable originality that made him a formative influence on younger Bay Area sports journalists. His extensive coverage of Barry Bonds' record-breaking era with the Giants exemplified his ability to blend statistical analysis with cultural commentary. Following Deadspin's 2019 mass resignations, Ratto joined former staffers at Defector as a staff writer, continuing his influential career.
A lifelong Alameda resident, Ratto serves as one of 60 sportswriters comprising the AP Poll for college football rankings and votes as a Baseball Writers' Association of America member for Hall of Fame elections. He lives in Alameda with his wife Beth and their children Meredith and Christian.
