Reporter who got fan's number on-air at Blue Jays game rides hotdog seesaw amid controversy
'Wiley Ballard, teeter-totter, seesaw, whatever it is, he has done it the whole half-inning,'
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While social media debated the ethics and character of a reporter who scored a female fan’s phone number live on-air, it didn’t stop the sportscaster from having some fun at the ballpark.
During Monday night’s game between the Braves and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Wiley Ballard – a reporter for FanDuel Sports Network – went viral after asking a female fan for their phone number live on-air.
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Reporter who got fan's number on-air at Blue Jays game rides hotdog seesaw amid controversy Back to video
While many on social media found the exchange humorous, there was vocal backlash about it and Ballard’s professionalism in the situation.
On Tuesday night, the broadcaster didn’t shy away from the spotlight and drew more laughs from his colleagues during a break in play.
After Atlanta’s Eli White lined out to finish the top half of the fourth inning, the booth threw to Ballard, who was seen riding a hotdog-shaped seesaw at the Schneiders Porch in Rogers Centre.
“Wiley Ballard, teeter-totter, seesaw, whatever it is, he has done it the whole half-inning,” a Braves broadcaster said from the booth as Ballard played on the playground staple with another fan.
Earlier in the game, Ballard had posted a couple of Instagram Stories from the Braves dugout, with one showing the team standing for the U.S. national anthem and another of the team celebrating Austin Riley’s home run to take a 1-0 lead.
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During Monday’s game between the Braves and Blue Jays, Ballard went viral for a flirty exchange with a fan at the Corona Rooftop Patio.
After introductions between Ballard and the two fans, Lauren and Kayla, the reporter asked if they came to the Patio often – Kayla said she visits once a year — and if they were Braves fans — to which she replied “not quite.”
Then, from the broadcast booth, one of the Braves announcers said: “OK, Wiley. You got five innings, four innings, to get the numbers.”
“I’m on it,” Ballard replied before pulling out his phone.
That’s when the Braves reporter got brave and asked for Kayla’s number without hesitation.
“Alright, so they want me to get your number,” Ballard said as the two men in the broadcast booth laughed.
After the fan asked, “They wanted you to get my number?” Ballard replied: “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.”
Ballard then joked that he may have found a new pick-up line.
“I might use that in the future, that’s actually a pretty good move,” he said.
Back in the booth, the announcers chimed in.
“This is unbelievable,” one said.
“The best part of this right now is that Wiley could totally be faking this,” the other joked. “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.”
When the camera cut back to Ballard and the fans from the action on the field, the woman appeared to be inserting her number into his phone.
“I should have thought of this years ago,” Ballard joked as his fellow broadcasters had a laugh.
“I got the number, we’re good,” Ballard said after being handed back his phone.
The moment went viral on social media after Miles Garrett, a reporter for Fox 5 Atlanta, posted the clip on X.
“Shoutout to my guy @wileyballard_ setting the standard for sports reporters getting a phone number out in the wild,” Garrett wrote. “10/10 work.”
As of Wednesday morning, the clip had been viewed more than 12 million times.
Of course, not everyone was amused by the segment, with several people pointing out the double standard involved.
“If a woman covering a game started hitting on fans & asking for their numbers on TV they would be crucified on the internet & fired,” Kylen Mills, a broadcaster with the Big Ten Network, posted on X.
“But here you see this inappropriate behaviour being celebrated as ‘the standard’ by a slew of men in the comments. Misogyny is alive & well!”
“For the record, it’s unprofessional for anyone to do this. You’re there to report on a baseball game, sure you want to have fun, but you can’t come up with any other reports than wandering around asking women for numbers?” Mills continued in a reply to her post.
After the clip went viral, many of Ballard’s colleagues were quick to vouch for him and his character.
“All of the think pieces on Wiley Ballard have to stop. Dude is the one of the nicest guys in the business and has worked extremely hard to get where he is,” wrote fellow broadcaster Brady Penn.
“To those of you crying about it being ‘inappropriate’ or ‘misogynistic’ please stop. It was two adults having a fun bit that crushed.”
It also was noted that Ballard was named Georgia Sportscaster of the Year by National Sports Media Association for 2024.
Ballard has yet to comment on the situation on social media.
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