Braves sideline reporter Wiley Ballard draws criticism after asking woman for her phone number during broadcast

Atlanta Braves sideline reporter Wiley Ballard was not a household name entering Monday night’s game, but the entire baseball world knew about him after it. Ballard was part of an unusual in-game interview Monday, in which he asked a woman for her phone number while on camera.

The segment occurred in the top of the fifth inning. Ballard approached two women for a live interview during the game. The whole thing started normally, with Ballard asking them about their baseball fandom. After one woman said she wasn’t a Braves fan yet, Ballard said he was going to “get to work.”

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At that point, Braves play-by-play man Brandon Gaudin joked that Ballard had four more innings to “get the numbers.” That’s when things veered away from the typical in-game interview.

Ballard pulled out his phone and told the woman the broadcasters wanted Ballard to get her number. The woman, Lauren, didn’t believe him initially. And the three broadcasters joked about how Ballard should try to use his job as a way to pick up women.

Lauren took Ballard’s phone and appeared to put her number in it. Ballard then ended the interview by saying, “I got the number. We’re good.”

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The interaction drew backlash from reporters and media professionals across social media, who called out the double standard and the unprofessional nature of the segment.

There are some uncomfortable power dynamics at play throughout the entire segment. Ballard — whether intentionally or not — used his platform for personal reasons, while the broadcast booth of Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski encouraged him. The fact that cameras were involved and that Lauren could hear only one part of the conversation added to those issues.

At the very least, it was unprofessional on the part of all three men on the broadcast. There are far more unsavory reads on the interaction, which could be viewed as creepy, gross and inappropriate.

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All of that was lost on Ballard, who celebrated the moment on X with an image from “Good Will Hunting.” In that scene, Matt Damon’s character brags about getting a woman’s number.

Nitkowski also celebrated the interaction, making Ballard one of the “players of the game.”

As did Gaudin, who called Monday’s 8-4 win by the Braves “The Wiley Ballard game.”

Ballard took over as the team’s dugout reporter during the 2024 season. Last year, he was named the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.