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Glen Kuiper

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Glen Kuiper
Sportscaster
Born: (1963-05-20) May 20, 1963 (age 61)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Teams
As Broadcaster

Glen Alan Kuiper (born May 20, 1963) is an American former sportscaster. He is best known for having served as the primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball for nearly two decades (2006–2023), and was also an occasional announcer for the Athletics Radio Network.

Career

A native of Racine, Wisconsin, Kuiper was drafted out of community college by the Cincinnati Reds in the 10th round (243rd overall) of the 1982 amateur entry draft. He turned it down and continued his education. Kuiper later attended University of New Orleans before spending two years as an infielder (primarily at second base) playing minor league baseball with the Spokane Indians and Erie Cardinals. He moved to the Bay Area in the late 1980s and graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting.[1][2]

Kuiper first started appearing on A's TV broadcasts in 2004, and for the first two years, served as an on-field correspondent and fill-in announcer. He became the primary announcer in 2006. Kuiper was occasionally the TV play-by-play announcer of A's nationally televised games on Fox. From 1996 until 2000 Kuiper hosted "Giants Lite" and "A's Lite" on SportsChannel Pacific and later FSN Bay Area. The programs were 30-minute condensed highlight shows of the games and gave a synopsis of games that had not been televised.[citation needed]

In addition to baseball, he was a sideline reporter for select NFL telecasts for Fox as well as the San Jose Sharks. Kuiper also handled various collegiate assignments for NBC Sports Bay Area and the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.[citation needed]

Suspension and termination

On May 5, 2023, during a pre-game broadcast on NBC Sports California for a game between the A's and the Kansas City Royals, Kuiper was enthusiastically discussing what he and broadcast partner Dallas Braden had done earlier in the day in Kansas City, which included a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Kuiper – referring to the museum, which is commonly referred to as the Negro League Museum – said the words "Nigger League Museum".[3][4][5] Upon returning from a commercial break at the top of the sixth inning, Kuiper apologized for the remarks, saying, "A little bit earlier in the show, I said something, didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to, and I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologize for that."[6][7] Following the game, the A's issued a statement on Twitter denouncing Kuiper's remarks, saying, "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."[8]

Bob Kendrick, president of the NLBM, issued a statement on Twitter that read, in part, "The word is painful and has no place in our society. And while I don't pretend to know Glen's heart I do know that my heart is one of forgiveness. I hope all of you will find it in yourselves to do the same!"[9]

On May 22, 2023, NBC Sports California announced that Kuiper would no longer be working for the network, having been terminated for the incident following an internal investigation.[10] Kuiper released his own statement the evening of his firing, saying he "will always have a hard time understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination... ."[11]

Personal life

Kuiper is the younger brother of Duane Kuiper, a former Major League player and current broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants. Kuiper resides in Danville, California, with his wife, Amanda, and two children.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Oakland Athletics Broadcasters | Oakland Athletics".
  2. ^ "Players/People - The Baseball Cube".
  3. ^ ESPN News Services. "A's announcer Glen Kuiper apologizes for appearing to use racial slur during broadcast". ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Burke, Jason. "A's Broadcaster Glen Kuiper Issues Apology, Team Issues Statement". SI.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Wilson, Josh. "Did Glen Kuiper use a racial slur on Friday broadcast? Everything to know". FanSided. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Evans, Jace. "A's broadcaster Glen Kuiper apologizes after appearing to say racial slur in slip-up". USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Sterling, Wayne; Lev, Jacob (May 7, 2023). "Oakland Athletics' announcer apologizes for using racial slur". CNN.
  8. ^ @AthleticsPR (May 6, 2023). "OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ O'Shea Becker, Lily (May 6, 2023). "Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president addresses Oakland A's broadcaster Glen Kuiper using racial slur on air". KSHB. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Lenthang, Marlene (May 23, 2023). "Oakland A's announcer Glen Kuiper fired after he appeared to use a racial slur on air". NBC News. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Keys, Matthew (May 23, 2023). "NBC fires Glen Kuiper after on-air slur during Oakland A's game". The Desk. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  12. ^ "Oakland Athletics Broadcasters". www.mlb.com.
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