There's a time and a place to ask for somebody's phone number—on camera during an MLB broadcast is not one of them.
Atlanta Braves reporter Wiley Ballard is going viral for the wrong reasons after his cringe encounter with two female fans during the Braves' 8–4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. Ballard approached the two women for a live interview in the fifth inning, and things quickly took a turn for the awkward.
During the segment, Ballard joked that he was going to "get to work" and persuade one of the women to become a Braves fan. Braves play-by-play commentator Brandon Gaudin responded that Ballard had four innings left to "get the numbers."
Ballard then pulled out his phone—while on camera and with Gaudin and the rest of the booth still in his ear—and told the woman that the Braves broadcast wanted him to get her digits. She seemed to oblige.
At the end of the interview, Ballard said, "I got the number. We're good," and all the Braves broadcasters had a laugh about it.
Bro just put in SERIOUS work while on the job pic.twitter.com/uGnHpH0r6q
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 15, 2025
Just so awkward.
MLB fans, including some who work in sports media, had a few other adjectives to describe the situation like unprofessional, inappropriate and just downright creepy. It's hard not to ignore the unbalanced power dynamics at play here, with many pointing out the obvious double standard had the genders been reversed. One can only hope Ballard learned his lesson (though it doesn't seem like he did).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Braves Reporter Asking Fan for Her Phone Number During Broadcast Was So Awkward.
