The series is set in Atlanta and follows Earnest "Earn" Marks, as he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend Van, who is also the mother of his daughter Lottie; as well as his parents and his cousin Alfred, who raps under the stage name "Paper Boi"; and Darius, Alfred's eccentric right-hand man.
In the episode, Earn and Alfred fail at making a deal with a music service when the staff's methods conflict with their interests.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.714 million household viewers and gained a 0.4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
However, the dealer sends Alfred a video of his girlfriend performing an acoustic cover of "Paper Boi", which annoys him.
After buying a few things, Earn is dismayed to see that Tracy abandoned him in the mall for his job interview, forcing him to take the bus back to Alfred's house.
"[3] One of the series' writers, Jamal Olori, said "We've had a running joke for years about popular songs that were initially trap and extremely gutta, and they get really mainstream", comparing it to Niykee Heaton covering Chief Keef's "Love Sosa".
Club gave the episode an "A−" and wrote, "To a certain extent, Atlanta is just a show about a guy who could probably be a lot more successful if he was just a bit choosier about the company he keeps.
I've never winced harder watching this show than I did when Earn gladly hand $4,000 to a recently released prisoner who promised him a 100 percent return on a mall gift card.
"[8] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "In not much time, Tracy's proven to be a fine addition to the group, even if he's cutting into the amount of Darius a bit.
Everyone's on stage, but no one's really enjoying it, and 'Sportin’ Waves' is a master class on the forces underlying those performances: code-switching and authenticity — or the lack thereof.
Watching these guys sit around sharing laughs and potshots about a hair care phenomenon that's pretty unique to black men — without expounding on its nuances for the benefit of a wider audience — felt like witnessing a secret handshake.
"[13] Justin Charity of The Ringer wrote, "Apart from the streaming hustle, the rest of the episode, titled 'Sportin’ Waves', invokes Paper Boi's music career only obliquely, as fans badger him with recognition, praise, and photography.
'Sportin’ Waves' is one of the few Atlanta episodes to belabor a single theme — humiliation—with each scene, though the corporate comedy interlude is bookended by much humbler story lines.