There are flubs, and there are Freudian slips, and which one Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper made during a live pregame broadcast is up for debate, sort of.
The veteran sportscaster made a controversial error when he said the N-word while talking about some of the popular sights in Kansas City, Missouri. The A’s were playing a road game against the Kansas City Royals that was televised on NBC Sports California. “We had a phenomenal day today. N-word Leagues Museum and Arthur Bryant’s BBQ,” said Kuiper as he recounted the grand time he and co-host Dallas Braden had heading into Friday (May 5) night’s game.
Following a commercial, Kuiper welcomed viewers back to Kauffman Stadium before issuing an apology. “I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to. I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologize for that,” he said. The A’s communications team reassured fans that “the language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.”
The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.
— Oakland A’s Communications (@AthleticsPR) May 6, 2023
Bob Kendrick, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s president, just kicked off a campaign to raise $30 million, with $5 million going toward an endowment and $25 million to relocate the tourist attraction to a larger and more historic venue. The Negro Leagues were founded in 1920 by Rube Foster with eight teams: the Chicago American Giants, Detroit Stars, Kansas City Monarchs, Indianapolis ABCs, St. Louis Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, and the Chicago Giants. Kendrick hopes to move the museum to the Paseo YMCA, its original location.
“I’ve been kinda sitting on this for a while. I don’t think the museum’s going to get any hotter than it is right now, so we’ve got to strike while the iron’s hot,” Kendrick told Andscape on Thursday (May 4), just one day before Kuiper would bring more attention its way. Reactions to the racial slur were plentiful. Peep them below.
Wasn’t #GlenKuiper’s use of the N-word that shocked me most, it’s the fact that his co-announcer didn’t flinch or skip a beat.
Unused words don’t roll off the tongue. Safe to assume that even if he don’t use the word, Kuiper hears the Negro Leagues Museum referred to as such. https://t.co/NAU5S993t5
— Neale (@AbeFroman) May 6, 2023
When racists show up: pic.twitter.com/qMe0np7mF7
— Matt (@whats_up_spence) May 6, 2023
— Panther Kidd🇭🇹★ (@QDominance_25) May 6, 2023
Glen Kuiper when they told him he had to apologize pic.twitter.com/d5TYLHwki0
— R&B Mari (@Mariannoo) May 6, 2023
This is clearly how Glen Kuiper speaks of Black people, and his lil sidekick too, cause neither of them skipped a beat. https://t.co/XrTuP78FJP
— Adrienne Lawrence, Esq. (@AdrienneLaw) May 6, 2023
Glen Kuiper this evening: pic.twitter.com/O1ZMe1XC7e
— Alex B. Smith (@axsmithsports) May 6, 2023
Glen Kuiper hit you with the HARD R Museum ???
Co-host didn’t hear nothing wrong with it. He didn’t stir. Matta fact. He shook his head in agreement. Fire his ass too https://t.co/DL5aYfk25q— Big Perm… I mean Big Worm (@stephan_haynes) May 6, 2023
If you don’t say the n word all the time, if you’re not real comfortable saying it, how does “negro” come out as that racial slur instead? #GlenKuiper https://t.co/EV1TMdagdA
— Pop (@financejonE) May 6, 2023
So baseball broadcaster Glen Kuiper, used the N-word in place of “negro” for the organization’s name when he was talking about The National Negro League Baseball Museum and their fundraising campaign.
WTF??????? https://t.co/c3r4OlJRHl
— Cliff W (@CliffW08950229) May 6, 2023
And to be honest, as far as apologies go, #GlenKuiper definitely didn’t hit this one out of the park.
Either show full contrition and fall all the way on your sword, or don’t even bother at all. https://t.co/rSjYv7k61Y
— Neale (@AbeFroman) May 6, 2023
don’t want or need to hear the specifics of what glen kuiper said, broadcasters NEED to be able to get through a game without using a slur and I cannot believe I’m saying this in 2023.
— natasha (@thefriscobay) May 6, 2023
I have no clue what the A’s should do about this Glen Kuiper situation but come on man 😭 pic.twitter.com/qkaFsaaO8Q https://t.co/0RcZpb95lN
— Allen Stiles (@The_StilesFiles) May 6, 2023