Oakland A’s announcer fired after use of racial slur on broadcast

Kuiper said in a statement that he "could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said."

by Phil Mayer | May. 22, 2023

OAKLAND, CA – JULY 22: General view of the Oakland Athletics logos in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Story at a glance

Glen Kuiper will no longer be announcing Oakland A’s games after he used a racial slur during a broadcast on May 5, NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed on Monday.

Kuiper used the word when describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

He claimed that his words “didn’t come out quite the way I wanted [them] to.”

(KRON) – Glen Kuiper will no longer be announcing Oakland A’s games after he used a racial slur during a broadcast on May 5, NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed on Monday.

Kuiper used the word when describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. He claimed that his words “didn’t come out quite the way I wanted [them] to” when he used the “n-word” instead of saying “Negro Leagues.”

“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,” the network said in a statement to the Associated Press. “We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.”

According to the AP, “the decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review.” That quote came from an anonymous source who did not reveal specific details.

Kuiper’s alleged mistake happened before the first pitch of the A’s game against the Kansas City Royals in early May. Before the 6th inning, he apologized.

“A little bit earlier in the show, I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologize for that.”

The day after the incident, NBC Sports Bay Area announced that Kuiper was suspended. Kuiper said in a statement that he “could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said.”

Kuiper has been announcing A’s games for 20 years. His brother Duane Kuiper is the San Francisco Giants announcer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.