Leigh-Anne Jackson of The New York Times wrote, "Tracy's wave cap expertise is where the episode gets its name, 'Sportin’ Waves'. 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." Jacob Oller of Paste gave the episode a 9.0 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Atlantas been riding the wave of bleak comedy for a season and change now, which has allowed its cast and crew to perfect their balance of incredulity and deadpan into an episode like 'Sportin’ Waves'. This is an episode where Earn functions as an outsider sucked into various bubbles while his cousin Alfred, a.k.a Paper Boi, has his familiar bubbles burst. That's because 'Robbin’ Season' is in full swing and everyone gotta eat." 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."
