Female sports reporters across the country are fuming after a male sports reporter proceeded to ask a fan for her phone number while interviewing her live during an Atlanta Braves telecast.
Wiley Ballard, a Braves reporter for Fan Duel Sports Network, interviewed two fans watching the Braves-Toronto Blue Jays game on Monday night at Rogers Centre in Toronto. After a brief exchange, Ballard sent it back to the booth.
"OK, Wiley. You got four innings to get the numbers," said the Braves play-by-play announcer, to which Ballard responded with, "I'm on it. I'm on it."
Ballard then pulls out his cell phone and asks one of the fans he interviewed for her number.
"Alright, so they want me to get your number," he tells the fan, prompting laughter in the announcer's booth.
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The fan seemed both shocked and amused that "they," the announcers, wanted him to get her number.
"I'm dead serious. They're saying [it] in my ear," he says. "She doesn't believe me because she thinks ... I'm making this up. Even if you guys weren't I might use that in the future. That's actually a pretty good move."
Shoutout to my guy @wileyballard_ setting the standard for sports reporters getting a phone number out in the wild.
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) April 15, 2025
10/10 work
🎥@fanduelsnbraves pic.twitter.com/RFEyd605Lb
As play in the game continues, the announcers laugh and joke that fans might like this move so much they'll walk around with a fake Fan Duel Network microphone and an earpiece and approach women for their phone numbers.
"I shoulda thought of this years ago," Ballard continues as the fan puts her phone number in his cell phone.
"Shoutout to my guy @wileyballard_ setting the standard for sports reporters getting a phone number out in the wild. 10/10 work," tweeted FOX 5 Atlanta reporter and anchor Miles Garrett.
But after the clip went viral many female fans chimed in, calling it unprofessional, among other things.
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! https://t.co/LaesCIFrg8
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) April 15, 2025
Eva Hallman, a female hockey reporter, summarized her thoughts, saying: "yet people assume I'm only working in hockey to get players numbers this is GROSSSSSSSSSS."
"If a woman covering a game started hitting on fans & asking for their numbers on TV they would be crucified on the internet & fired," tweeted sports broadcaster Kylen Mills. "But here you se this inappropriate behavior being celebrated as 'the standard' by a slew of men in the comments. Misogyny is alive & well!"
Emma Lingan, who covers the NHL and is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, also chimed in.
"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," she tweeted. "Misogyny is alive and well, folks!"
Ballard later took to X and posted a screenshot of Good Will Hunting's "How You Like Them Apples" scene, when Matt Damon's character, Will, rubs it in Clark's face after getting Skylar's phone number.
— Wiley Ballard 🧋 (@wileyballard_) April 15, 2025
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/owBNKHD
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