It’s Wrong But It’s Funny!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper has been suspended after uttering a racial slur while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

NBC Sports California said in a statement Saturday that Kuiper will remain off the air until a review of what happened during Friday night’s broadcast is completed.

In a pregame segment on NBC Sports California before the A’s played the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum with colleague Dallas Braden but seemingly mispronounced the word “negro,” making it sound instead like a slur.

Later in the game, Kuiper apologized on the air without getting into specifics, saying he said something that “didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to.”

“I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said,” Kuiper said Saturday in a statement released by NBC Sports California. “I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.”

Kuiper’s apology:

“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. As I said, I just wanted to apologize for that.”

The slur had gone almost entirely unnoticed until that apology, after which some social media users went back and found the clip to share.

I’m not sure what was said, but #Athletics TV Broadcaster Glen Kuiper opened the 6th-inning with an on-air apology. pic.twitter.com/AZQVL3kuJG

— Joe Hughes (@VegasJoeHughes) May 6, 2023

Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, issued a statement about Kuiper on Twitter on Saturday.

“I’m aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper,” Kendrick said. “I welcomed Glen to the NLBM yesterday and know he was genuinely excited to be here. 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!”

My Official Statement on the Glen Kuiper incident is below. pic.twitter.com/txAmPH9ulI

— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) May 6, 2023

The A’s later issued a statement Friday night, calling the language used by Kuiper “unacceptable.”

Kuiper has been calling A’s games in the Bay Area for about 20 years. He is the younger brother of former major leaguer and Giants announcer Duane Kuiper.

Radio announcers Johnny Doskow and Vince Cotroneo will rotate as play-by-play announcers during Kuiper’s absence.

Soon after the game, a 12-8 Oakland win, the A’s issued a statement via Twitter condemning Kuiper’s language and saying they would address the situation. They later addressed it saying this via twitter:

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