| Glen Kuiper | |
|---|---|
| Sportscaster | |
| Born: (1963-05-20)May 20, 1963 (age 62) Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| Teams | |
As Broadcaster
|
Glen Alan Kuiper (born May 20, 1963) is an American formersportscaster. He is best known for having served as the primaryplay-by-play announcer for theOakland Athletics ofMajor League Baseball for nearly two decades (2006–2023), and was also an occasional announcer for theAthletics Radio Network.
A native ofRacine, Wisconsin, Kuiper was drafted out of community college by theCincinnati Reds in the 10th round (243rd overall) of the 1982 amateur entry draft. He turned it down and continued his education. Kuiper later attendedUniversity of New Orleans before spending two years as an infielder (primarily at second base) playing minor league baseball with theSpokane Indians andErie Cardinals. He moved to the Bay Area in the late 1980s and graduated fromSan Francisco State University with abachelor'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. From1996 until2000 Kuiper hostedGiants Lite andA's Lite onSportsChannel Pacific and laterFSN Bay Area. The programs were 30-minute condensed highlight shows of the games and gave a synopsis of games that had not been televised.[3]
In addition to baseball, he was a sideline reporter for selectNFL telecasts for Fox as well as theSan Jose Sharks. Kuiper also handled various collegiate assignments forNBC Sports Bay Area and theGolden State Warriors of theNBA.[4]
On May 5, 2023, during a pre-game broadcast onNBC Sports California for a game between the A's and theKansas City Royals, Kuiper was enthusiastically discussing what he and broadcast partnerDallas Braden had done earlier in the day inKansas City, which included a visit to theNegro Leagues Baseball Museum. Kuiper – referring to the museum, which is commonly referred to as the Negro League Museum – appeared to misspeak and instead said the words "Nigger League Museum".[5][6][7] 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."[8][9] 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."[10]
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.[11] 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... ."[12]
Kuiper is the younger brother ofDuane Kuiper, a former Major League player and current broadcaster for theSan Francisco Giants. Kuiper resides inDanville, California, with his wife, Amanda, and two children.[13]