Meet Tony Massarotti: Boston sportswriter, author, family man
Tony Massarotti is famous for his unfiltered opinions and brilliant analysis in the Boston sports media. He has over 30 years of experience in the media. The energetic sports journalist co-hosts the Felger & Mazz podcast on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Source: Twitter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Mazzoratti has been in the business of talking sports for over three decades and has worked with Michael Felger for half of those.
- He has been involved in several on-air comments, including racial slurs in 2023 and 2024.
- Massarotti took a leave of absence due to a serious illness in early 2023, raising concerns among fans.
Profile summary
| Full name | Anthony Massarotti |
| Nickname | Mazz |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | July 30, 1967 |
| Age | 58 years old (as of 2025) |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Place of birth | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America |
| Current residence | Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Italian-American |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height | 5'10" (178 cm) |
| Weight | 180 lbs (82 kg) |
| Hair colour | Grey (formerly brown) |
| Eye colour | Hazel |
| Parents | Anna Gagliardi and Bill Massarotti |
| Siblings | Elena M. and Norma |
| Marital status | Married |
| Partner | Natalie Massarotti |
| Children | Two |
| Education | Waltham High School and Tufts University |
| Profession | Sportswriter, radio host, and author |
| Net worth | $3 million |
| Social media | Facebook X (Twitter) |
Tony Massarotti’s family were sports lovers
Media guru Tony was raised in a family of sports lovers. His parents, Anna Gagliardi and Bill Massarotti, raised him alongside two siblings, Elena and Norma, in the Boston neighbourhood.
His older sister Norma excelled at track and field at Waltham High School. Given his passion for football, Coach John Casey said he thought Mazz was going to be the next big thing in American Football. According to Tufts Daily, he said:
Here I am in my third year of coaching, going, 'Oh, yeah, her little brother - this kid's gonna be like Deion Sanders. Well, after seeing Tony play a couple of times, that notion was quickly dispelled.
Source: Original
He left his active sports ambition to become a sports journalist
Tony started working professionally at the Boston Herald in 1989. His job was to answer phone calls, but he quickly built on the momentum. He covered sports for the Herald and became its major writer for the Red Sox in 1994.
Mazz had a reputation for intense baseball analysis and supported managers like Jimy Williams and Grady Little. In September 2008, the Boston Globe hired him, where he regularly wrote columns.
He joined 98.5 The Sports Hub, where he met Michael Felger. The duo started the Felger & Mazz Show. As published on their official website, the media house's Program Director, Rick Radzik, remarked about him after NESN announced him as a commentator:
Tony’s passion for baseball has never wavered over the years. He loves the game and enjoys talking about the game. Now he gets the opportunity to bring this knowledge and some unique commentary to the Red Sox fans across the New England region.
Tony Massarotti’s illness gave fans a real scare
Massarotti was visibly absent from sports analysis in the early parts of 2023. As Boston published, he put his fans at ease in a statement saying:
I had some health things pop up during the holidays that I was not anticipating. They required my immediate attention, we addressed them, and I feel good about it.
Source: Instagram
Tony has been involved in racial controversies at work
Mazz is known for speaking his passion about sports, but sometimes he says unsavoury things. The New York Post published that Tony Massarotti's zipperhead comment in 2024 was received with mixed feelings by some racial groups.
His description of the Z in Gen Z as zipperhead was interpreted as an Asian slur, which was an allusion to being weak yet dangerous. Before then, he had been suspended for a week in 2023.
The New York Post reported that the suspension came after he made racist comments on air about two black men who sat behind his co-host, Felger. He reportedly said:
I wanna know now who the two guys behind you are. They can’t hear us, right? Okay, so I would be careful if I were you. Because the last time you were around a couple of guys like that, they stole your car.
Source: Twitter
Tony Massarotti is married
Massarotti manages to keep his family's life private, but it is well known that he is married with children. Pictures of Tony Massarotti’s wife, Natalie, are scarce. The couple lives in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States.
What is Tony Massarotti’s net worth?
His exact net worth is not public knowledge, but he earns from different sources. His lucrative contract extension with 98.5 The Sport Hub, as CBS News reported, testifies to that.
Tony also made the majority of his income from the proceeds of books he has authored and co-authored. Some of his listed books on Amazon include:
| No | Book title | Year of publication |
| 1 | A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant | 2004 |
| 2 | Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits | 2007 |
| 3 | Dynasty: The Inside Story of How the Red Sox Became a Baseball Powerhouse | 2008 |
| 4 | Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch | 2011 |
| 5 | This Is Our City: Four Teams, Twelve Championships, and How Boston Became the Most Dominant Sports City in the World | 2022 |
Frequently asked questions
Source: Twitter
- Where is Tony Massarotti? Tony lives in Massachusetts with his immediate family and continues to co-host the Felger & Mazz Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
- Who are Tony Massoratti’s children? Mazz has two children: Alexander, born in 2004 and Xavier Massoratti, born in 2007.
- What was Tony Massoratti’s apology about? The sports journalist had to apologise for making a racial slur on air.
Final word
Tony Massoratti is a big name in sports media nowadays, but it was not an easy pitch. He had to forego his ambition of playing active sports to face the reality of becoming a revered critic.
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