When Jason Ross Jr. would sit in the press box for Detroit Red Wings games, he would take a tape recorder with him. He was perched high above the arena practicing his hockey play-by-play. When each contest concluded, he made sure to interact with other members of the media, conveying his interest in the industry and asking for advice. Trevor Thompson and Ken Kal served as mentors and helped him find his way in the heart of “Hockeytown,” the clock striking closer to his moment with each passing repetition.
Just a few years later, Ross Jr. found himself behind the microphone at the age of 22 years old calling a Chicago Blackhawks game, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Play-by-play had been his obsession from the time he was in middle school, and he maximized his opportunities at Lawrence Tech University to intern with professional sports teams and call collegiate games.
Oakland University named Ross Jr. the voice of its women’s basketball team in 2019, and he also called games for many other sporting events in the area. Ross Jr. covered the Lions and Tigers for Sports Illustrated as an intern. Having that versatility allowed him to call the powerlifting competitions within the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany, an experience with the potential to shape his future undertakings.
“You have to kind of do it, and you can’t cheat the process or the preparation that goes into that when it comes to learning about the sport; when it comes to calling people and asking questions [and] when it comes to, I think [on] a TV broadcast for the first time, learning how to meet with your producer and having those conversations and work with an analyst,” Ross Jr. said.
The peripatetic nature of the industry for broadcasters in their initial years is very much a test of persistence, determining whether or not they have the drive and talent necessary to realize success. Ross Jr. has always studied the craft, frequently consuming sporting events, conversing with broadcasters and theorizing as to how he can take the next steps in his journey.
“There are some arduous moments where you’re going through and you have to… kind of [pull] through those moments,” Ross Jr. said, “but at the end of the day, I think it’s a love for the industry and for the job that gets you through any sort of ups and downs, which actually do come in life in general.”
When the Chicago Blackhawks traveled to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in early 2021, the storyline related to goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury facing his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, for the first time in his career. Throughout the night, the buzz in the building was exhilarating and kept everyone interested in the pivotal matchup. For Ross Jr., it was his National Hockey League debut – and he felt more than just the energy in the arena. As a member of the media though, he had to avoid becoming consumed by it so he could stay focused on his job.
While Ross Jr. was behind the microphone, he was also making history as the first Black television play-by-play announcer to call a Chicago Blackhawks game. Additionally, he was covering his middle school classmate, Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat.
“I can’t come up with enough words to describe that night because it was so fun and so memorable, and all of my family was watching back home,” Ross Jr. said. “That was amazing; it was just really, really neat to be a part of [and] felt like a dream come true.”
Throughout his youth, Ross Jr. leaned on the teachings of “The Talent Code,” a book written by Daniel Coyle pertaining to developing skills through deliberate practice. It provided the basis of his progress and inspired him to hone his craft to reach a level of steady, sustained improvement.
“For me, I think it’s building up with all these little skills and then turning it into a well-rounded product, and I would aspire to hopefully continue doing bigger and better events,” Ross Jr. said. “I’ve loved some of the experiences I’ve had so far doing different sports.”
FOX Sports hired Ross Jr. in 2022 to broadcast college basketball on its platforms. Appearing on FOX Sports 1 for the first time this past March, he was calling a pivotal men’s basketball matchup between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Minnesota Golden Gophers. With 5.8 seconds to go in the second half, Minnesota trailed by two points and was yearning to snap a 12-game losing streak.
Ta’Lon Cooper dished the ball outside to Jamison Battle so he could attempt a three-point shot to win the game – and Ross Jr. was ready. The arena held its collective breath as the shot was thrown up and swished through as the clock struck zero, securing the upset and sending the crowd into euphoria. All Ross Jr. had to say was, “Bucket!,” and he eloquently let the spectators tell the rest.
“You have to know the storylines in order to properly tee up that moment, and your energy level just has to be at the right spot,” Ross Jr. said. “I think resetting the storylines going into the final five minutes of the game is important for me.”
Ross Jr. has been calling sports on the Big Ten Network since 2021 on a year-round basis, being situated in the broadcast booth for football, basketball, hockey, baseball and lacrosse. He is a part of the broadcast rotation for football season on the network, starting his campaign Saturday, Sept. 9 when the UTEP Miners face the Northwestern Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST.
Last season, Ross Jr. called NCAA Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference football games on NFL Network, preparing him with the necessary experience to call contests for a Power Five conference. While he will be back on NFL Network and ESPN this year, Ross Jr. is looking forward to the challenge of balancing it with more football-centric responsibilities.
“I feel like being a lifelong learner is really fun in this industry because you’re constantly learning from people who have had such different arrays of experiences in their lives,” Ross Jr. said. “Getting to do that really lends to national broadcasts, personally, so it’s like I’m kind of [in] a candy store learning from people all the time that I grew up admiring.”
Chicago Bulls and FOX play-by-play announcer Adam Amin taught Ross Jr. his national broadcast philosophy of synthesizing events based on macro and micro perspectives. As it pertains to the micro, broadcasters should have an understanding of recent events and then be able to contextualize them in the macro. Furthermore, they endeavor to connect those points to larger questions about the team, its personnel and season.
Conversely, local broadcasters are aware of the scope of their audience and seek to impart new information or perspectives through the appropriate lens. During the 2023 NFL preseason, Ross Jr. announced Detroit Lions preseason football on TV. Occupying the main broadcast booth at Ford Field was the realization of a goal for Ross Jr., who once tried to sneak into it to meet Jim Nantz.
“You get to be there and be the voice of the event,” Ross Jr. articulated. “It’s such a privilege to be able to do that, and to be immersed in this job that I love so much and dreamt of doing and work for networks that I always dreamt of being with.”
Indeed, Ross Jr. is now living in the “Windy City,” serving as the play-by-play voice for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA on Marquee Sports Network. Entering the role last season, Ross Jr. had cross-platform experience calling women’s basketball at the collegiate level both with the Big Ten Network and Westwood One.
“It’s a fun league to watch, and I just hope that it continues to grow and more expansion comes and more viewership comes,” Ross Jr. said. “People should be paying attention to it on a weekly basis. It’s a fun game and the athletes are so talented and they have amazing stories to tell.”
Ross Jr. does not have a backup plan, wholeheartedly pursuing a career that requires diligence and commitment with no guarantees of triumphs. Being so young, there are sometimes feelings of doubt that creep into his mindset, but he tries to restrict those by remaining in the right headspace.
“I think naturally, as human beings, we all overthink a moment in life,” Ross Jr. said. “Trying to limit moments where I’m doing that is very important. I think at the end of the day, we all have to believe that we belong here in this moment, and hopefully that will deliver confidence in whatever space you’re in.”
Ross Jr. remembers how essential his time as a child was in cultivating an enamor for sports media and distinctly remembers his sentiments in several moments. Now being on the other side of the screen, he cherishes the platform he has been given to help create new memories and be a part of establishing an earnest appreciation for sports and broadcasting.
“I have a pretty deep reverence for that moment; those two or three hours,” Ross Jr. said. “….I hope I can deliver stories and a level of energy that makes the experience fun for the people or the family that are watching and kind of deliver a broadcast that keeps them hopefully [at] the edge of their seat. The game dictates that, first and foremost.”
Having the ability to do that necessitates a balance between Ross Jr. and his analyst, but serving many different outlets can make that process more difficult. Conversing off camera and having an understanding of the bigger picture beyond the booth are habits that Ross Jr. finds grant a play-by-play announcer insight into the proclivities of the analyst.
Something he learned from Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Dan Shulman is that a good play-by-play announcer focuses on setting up others for success, much like a point guard in basketball. None of it is genuinely effective, however, if the announcer is not confident in their own knowledge.
When broadcasters are juggling multiple recurring assignments, it is necessary to consider storylines ahead of time and safeguard against being unable to adjust to a sudden change. Ross Jr. has seen what it means to be consistent by watching the local broadcasts of Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox baseball games. Observing how the on-air chemistry pervades the broadcast inspires him to continuously strive to reach that point across all of his assignments.
“There are a lot of conversations throughout the week that build up chemistry that people hear on the air,” Ross said. “If you can know a thing or two about what your analyst did in their playing days, that’s also a really fun thing for me to learn about. I think it shines a light on what they did and I think it brings up some fun conversations from the past.”
Through procuring a growth mindset and an enthusiastic attitude, Ross wants to continue expanding his sports portfolio and thus has trouble identifying one area he would like to primarily focus on. The ingenious dexterity he has developed and refined at every turn keeps him encouraged to continue working to achieve all of his future goals. Evidently so, he is not letting anything hinder his aspirations, aligning them with his daily goals to produce bonafide results.
“Even when moments of self-doubt creep in, try your best to not pay attention to that self-doubt,” Ross advised. “Always keep a firm eye and mindset on what your dreams are,and always aspire for those dreams no matter what the circumstance is.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
