Braves reporter sparks backlash after asking fan for her number on live TV: ‘Unprofessional’
Wiley Ballard’s on-air attempt to get a fan’s phone number during a Braves game has ignited criticism over double standards in sports journalism.
A light-hearted moment during the Atlanta Braves’ 8-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays has stirred controversy after Braves reporter Wiley Ballard was seen asking a female fan for her phone number live on air, a move many are calling inappropriate.
The interaction, which aired on FanDuel Sports Network, took place during the fifth inning of the game at Rogers Centre. Ballard approached two women standing on the Corona Rooftop Patio and began chatting with them on camera. One of the Braves announcers joked, “OK, Wiley. You got five innings — four innings — to get the numbers.”
“I’m on it,” Ballard replied, pulling out his phone. He then turned to the woman beside him and said, “Alright, so they want me to get your number.”
The woman appeared surprised and asked, “They wanted you to get my number?”
Ballard responded, “I’m dead serious, they’re saying in my ear right now. She doesn’t believe me because she thinks you guys are making this up.”
As the booth laughed, Ballard, seemingly encouraged by the on-air banter, remarked, “I might use that in the future, that’s actually a pretty good move,” while the game continued in the background.
Another announcer chimed in with amusement: “This is unbelievable.” One added, “The best part of this right now is that Wiley could totally be faking this. This might be the new move. Just walk around with a FanDuel microphone and an ear piece in and convince fans they are actually on TV.”
The camera later showed the woman appearing to input her number into Ballard’s phone. “I should have thought of this years ago,” he quipped, drawing more laughs from the booth. “I got the number, we’re good,” he confirmed as the exchange wrapped up.
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The segment quickly went viral after Fox 5 Atlanta’s Miles Garrett posted the clip on X (formerly Twitter), where it garnered over 1.6 million views by Tuesday morning. Garrett praised Ballard’s move, posting: “Shoutout to my guy @wileyballard_ setting the standard for sports reporters getting a phone number out in the wild. 0/10 work.”
Ballard later doubled down by posting a popular still from Good Will Hunting, mimicking the film’s iconic “How do you like dem apples?” moment.
Sparks backlash
However, many in the industry have not shared in the humour, instead criticising the behaviour as unprofessional and indicative of a broader ‘double standard’ in journalism.
Kylen Mills of Big Ten Network posted: “If a woman covering a game started hitting on fans & asking for their numbers on TV they would be crucified on the internet & fired. But here you see this inappropriate behavior being celebrated as ‘the standard’ by a slew of men in the comments. Misogyny is alive & well!”
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News echoed the sentiment, writing, “If a female sideline/dugout reporter did this, she’d be called horrible names and probably be run out of town. On the other side, here’s a fellow TV anchor basically saying to dude who asked for phone numbers: ‘My man.’ It’s not the same for both sexes. It’s just not. And that’s inherently wrong.”
Emma Lingan, who reports on the Nashville Predators, added: “If this were a female reporter asking for a man’s number, it would be unprofessional. But if a man does it, it’s funny and acceptable to take multiple victory laps after doing so. Misogyny is alive and well, folks!”
A few supported the reporter, with one user commenting, "There is literally nothing wrong with this. It’s a 162 game season. This was fun to watch. Why does it bother you so much?”
