Glen Kuiper probably won’t be yelling, “Let’s play ball” into a mic anytime soon. As previously reported by REVOLT, the Oakland A’s announcer came under fire after saying “n**ger” during a live broadcast earlier this month. Today (May 23), it was revealed that his employment has been terminated.
“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately. We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years,” a statement from an NBC Sports California spokesperson read. “We had a phenomenal day today. N**ger Leagues Museum and Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue,” the former Oakland A’s sportscaster casually said during a televised May 5 road game against the Kansas City Royals.
That's not a word you use accidentally unless you are used to using it on purpose.
— John Chr 🏴☠️ (@JohnChr42) May 23, 2023
While the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is located in Kansas City, Missouri, the “N**ger Leagues Museum” does not exist. Social media users noted the ease with which Kuiper said the slur and how there was little visible remorse. “See how comfortable he is using that word? He uses it a lot, I’ll bet,” one person tweeted. Another added, “That’s not a word you use accidentally unless you are used to using it on purpose.” Before the game ended, the Oakland A’s announcer issued an apology on-air: “A little bit earlier in the show, I said something, 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.”
Prior to his deeply racist slur being heard by the masses, Kuiper, 60, was the team’s go-to local broadcaster for 17 seasons. “It was a terrible but honest mispronunciation, and I take full responsibility… racism is in no way a part of me; it never has been, and it never will be… I am an honest, caring, kind, honorable, respectful husband and father who would never utter a disparaging word about anybody. Those who know me best know this about me. I wish the Oakland A’s and NBC Sports would have taken into consideration my 20-year career, my solid reputation, integrity, and character, but in this current environment, traits like integrity and character are no longer considered. I will always have a hard time understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination, but I know something better is in my future,” he said in a statement.