Fanduel Sports Network journalist Wiley Ballard obtained a backlash for asking a woman her phone number during a live report in a match on Monday evening.
But not everyone found the actions of Ballard inappropriate, including the experienced journalist Olivia Harlan Dekker.
The daughter of the legendary broadcaster Kevin Harlan and his wife of the NBA Sam Dekker player said that Ballard’s incident was destroyed in proportion.
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Bally Wiley Ballard journalist, on the left, Interview Ozzie Albies des Braves d’Atlanta after a match against the Cleveland Guardians in Trist Park on April 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (Kevin D. Liles / Atlanta Braves / Getty Images)
Some of these Ballard actions wondered what would have happened if a touch -to -touch journalist did what Ballard had done.
Harlan Dekker spoke about experience.
“The people who go crazy about Braves’ journalist asking for the girl’s phone number are crazy! Haha how does that offer you? It was harmless and cute … Good television, I would say,” said Harlan Dekker’s first post. “It does not harm the game or the season. Lighting.
The efforts of Braves Sideline Reporter to obtain the woman’s phone number stimulating the controversial online debate
“I have been a team journalist, and the season is long. The producers are always looking for something different / memorable, ways to involve fans or show some human interest in the game. Most of these interviews are failures, so good for him to have a sense of humor and ride with it.
“If someone can show an example of a woman who gets fired on something similar, then you have an argument,” she said. “Until then … you can’t just say” a woman would have been dismissed for this.
Bally Sports Wiley Ballard journalist, on the left, interviews Michael Harris II of the Braves d’Atlanta after a match against the Texas Rangers in Truist Park on April 20, 2024, in Atlanta. (Kevin D. Liles / Atlanta Braves / Getty Images)
“In the middle of a baseball match at the start of the season in the regional / team program, his producer told him to get something colorful in the crowd, her stand acts, the girl played there and it was not scary. It is sports television, it was entertainment! It was not a board room where.”
During his live segment, Ballard said that the broadcast stand wanted him to get two phone numbers for women.
“I am serious, they say in my ear right now,” said Ballard on the antenna, speaking both at the broadcast stand and women on their phone numbers. “She doesn’t believe me because she thinks you are inventing that. I’m going to use it in the future. It’s actually a pretty good decision. I should have thought years ago,”
The segment was quickly struck on social networks, although a heated debate started with people thinking in the same way as Harlan Dekker.
An X account said that the segment showed “insane double standard in sport”, while another went more in depth on the counter argument.
“This is the most stupid thing and the most stupid indignation. The indignation for the other person when you do not know the complete interaction or how they even thought about it. You do not know what was said and done before and after the segment too,” said the post.
Olivia Harlan Dekker attended the “Unstoppable” screening at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 5, 2024, in London. (Mike Marsland / Getty Images for primitive video)
The journalist of the Arizona Cardinals team Dani Sureck also gave his thoughts.
“Soooooo are we still going to ask women in sport that if they only do their job to go out with athletes? We can all agree how inappropriate and mean, not to mention the double standard, right?”
Harlan Dekker is an NFL and host journalist for PK Press Club and Westwood One Sports.
