Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper fired after racial slur

Mon May 22 6:01pm ET
Field Level Media

Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper was fired on Monday by NBC Sports California after using a racial slur during a May 5 broadcast of a game between the A's and Kansas City Royals.

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

Kuiper, who had not worked for NBC Sports California since the incident, used the N-word when discussing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

"I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said," Kuiper said in a statement through NBC Sports California after the incident. "I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies."


On May 5, Kuiper was speaking pregame on NBC Sports California, and referring to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when he appeared to say, "We had a phenomenal day today. (N-word) League Museum and Arthur Bryant's Barbeque."

Prior to the sixth inning, Kuiper said, "A little 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. And like I said, I just wanted to apologize for that."

Kuiper, 60, had been an announcer on A's games since 2004. His older brother, Duane, is a longtime San Francisco Giants announcer who played 12 seasons as a major league infielder.