By Matt Yoder on

Atlanta Braves reporter Wiley Ballard went viral on Monday night during a game in Toronto and his actions in the broadcast have stirred up plenty of reactions throughout the sports media universe.

With the game in the fifth inning, Ballard found two young women to interview in the stands. The interview started with business as usual until the reporter was egged on by the announcers in the booth, Brandon Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski, to also get the phone number of one of the fans.

With the game ongoing, Wiley Ballard did just that live on the air, much to the entertainment of the Atlanta Braves broadcast.

Ballard and the rest of the Braves broadcast crew had no problem amplifying the events on social media, with Gaudin even referring to it as “The Wiley Ballard Game” complete with a phone emoji.

And while some fans may have also been entertained at home while watching the segment, it made plenty of others feel very uncomfortable.

The behavior of Ballard and the entire Braves broadcast was heavily criticized from within the sports media world. This was particularly true from female sports journalists who saw it as indicative of a double standard that has long existed in the industry and still sadly rings true even in 2025.

Reporters from television and print, ranging from national to local broadcasts commented that if they had done what Ballard did in asking for a fan’s number, they would be lucky to still have a job in sports media. Others imagined what the potential negative reaction could be and how it would be received if a woman had taken the same steps on a live television broadcast.

Those are just some of the scores of reactions from female sports journalists, broadcasters, and reporters to Wiley Ballard asking for a female fan’s phone number live on the air. And in fairness, there were plenty of male counterparts throughout the sports media that found the stunt to be in poor taste as well.

Some voices also brought up the “controversy” last week around Florida student reporter Talia Baia filming her reaction to the Gators winning the national championship while in press row for the game and appearing to be mildly celebrating their triumph.

Had the roles been reversed and Wiley Ballard done what Baia did in being happy to see the Braves win a title and Baia done what Ballard did in asking a male fan for his phone number, you can only imagine which one would receive more of a hyperbolic reaction.

And that’s clearly the point that all these female sports journalists are making. What someone may consider funny or harmless might perpetuate a double standard in the industry that isn’t going away anytime soon.

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