Atlanta Braves reporter Wiley Ballard didn’t let a controversial moment during Monday’s broadcast get in the way of more on-air antics during Tuesday’s game.
On Monday, Ballard went viral for an in-game segment in which he interviewed two female Braves fans in the stands. As the segment seemed poised to wrap up, Braves play-by-play announcer Bradon Gaudin chimed in, saying, “Okay, Wiley, you’ve got four innings to get the numbers.”
“I’m on it, I’m on it,” Ballard then replied. The rest is history.
Ballard faced scrutiny from many women in the industry throughout Tuesday, with one reporter calling it “insanely inappropriate” and many others suggesting how different the situation would have been if the genders were reversed.
That criticism didn’t seem to bother Ballard as he returned to air on Tuesday with a different type of in-game segment. The Blue Jays held a $1 hotdog promotion for the game, and Ballard found a friend to ride the in-stadium wiener seesaw with.
“Some good wholesome fun,” Braves game analyst CJ Nitkowski chimed in, perhaps slyly referencing the events of the previous night.
The Braves broadcast might be wise to stick with this type of family-friendly fare in the future to avoid any further headaches.