FanDuel Sports Network
Wiley Ballard, the Atlanta Braves sideline reporter who made headlines earlier this week for pulling a woman’s number while on-air, followed up the controversial segment with a far goofier bit the following night: riding a hot-dog seesaw.
During Monday night’s game between the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays (the Braves won 8-4), Ballard was doing the broadcast’s “The Field Report” segment and approached two blonde women who were at the Truist Park rooftop lounge.
After leading with a standard “You come here often?” line and brief responses from the pair of women, named Lauren and Kayla, Ballard shooed away the broadcast and said he was going to “go to work up here.”
Following a comment from the announcers about getting their numbers, Ballard — still on camera — then whipped out his phone and told Lauren “They want me to get your number.”
Shoutout to my guy @wileyballard_ setting the standard for sports reporters getting a phone number out in the wild.
10/10 work
🎥@fanduelsnbraves pic.twitter.com/RFEyd605Lb
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) April 15, 2025
The moment prompted an immediate divisive response, with some arguing that the moment was unprofessional and uncomfortable, and others saying it was a harmless interaction between two grown-ups.
As for Ballard, he certainly seems unbothered by the whole ordeal, as cameras caught him riding on the stadium’s hot dog see-saw, with one of the broadcasters slyly commenting that it’s “good wholesome fun.”
Do with this what you will. pic.twitter.com/8qE11dP9W7
— Luz (@luzthegoosey) April 16, 2025
“I loved that the Braves reporter that people got mad about last night is riding a hot dog see-saw tonight. Not sure if it’s intentional but it perfectly illustrates how absurd that ‘controversy’ was,” said Barstool Sports’ Dan Katz in a tweet that’s racked up almost a million views at the time of this writing.
Katz’s dismissal of the moment seems to be the general feeling of those who were in favor of it, claiming that it was just a harmlessly flirty interaction between two consenting adults.
While Katz may be trying to downplay the controversy of the moment, the fact is that many female journalists have gone public with their thoughts about the moment, largely expressing displeasure.
“‘Setting the standard’ It’s an incredibly low, unprofessional standard to set. Not only did this put the women in the awkward position to not say no, but if a woman did this she would be slutshamed for the rest of her career IF she even got to keep her career,” said New York Daily News Mets beat reporter Abbey Mastracco.
“If I had ever done anything close to this, my career would be over. This is…flabbergasting,” added Newsday writer Laura Albanese.
“This is one of the most insanely inappropriate things I’ve ever seen. Like I legitimately cannot believe it’s real,” concurred CBS Sports’ MLB editor Kate Feldman.
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! https://t.co/29J6Y4PMd6
— Emma Lingan (@emma_lingan) April 15, 2025
Despite the fervor and discourse on social media, it does not appear that the FanDuel Sports Network will be addressing or punishing Ballard for the incident.