Glen Kuiper

Glen Alan Kuiper (born May 20, 1963) is an American sports broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. Kuiper serves as the primary play-by-play announcer for A's telecasts on NBC Sports California and is also an occasional announcer for the Athletics Radio Network.

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

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 is 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, which were 30-minute condensed highlight shows of the games, and which gave a synopsis of the games that were not televised.

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 as well as the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.

Suspension

On May 5, 2023, during a broadcast on NBC Sports California for a game between the A's and the Kansas City Royals, Kuiper was discussing what he and broadcast partner Dallas Braden had done earlier in the day in Kansas City. Kuiper appeared to have said "nigger league museum" when referring to a visit the two had to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM).[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 which 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]

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.[10]

References
  1. "Oakland Athletics Broadcasters | Oakland Athletics".
  2. "Players/People - The Baseball Cube".
  3. "A's announcer Glen Kuiper apologizes for appearing to use racial slur during broadcast". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  4. "A's Broadcaster Glen Kuiper Issues Apology, Team Issues Statement". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. "Did Glen Kuiper use a racial slur on Friday broadcast? Everything to know". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  6. "A's broadcaster Glen Kuiper apologizes after appearing to say racial slur in slip-up". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  7. "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. "Oakland Athletics Broadcasters". www.mlb.com.
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