Oakland A’s commentator Glen Kuiper used a racial slur during the game but what did he say?
Whether done in error or with intent, what’s now clear is that the veteran commentator is going to have some serious questions to answer in the coming days.
The longtime MLB broadcaster has found himself in hot water, after the Athletics took serious issue with what appears to have been his use of a racial slur during a live broadcast of one of their recent games. This will likely get ugly.
Oakland A’s take issue with racial slur
Following a rather unsavory moment, the Oakland Athletics have now publicly denounced longtime broadcaster Glen Kuiper after he appeared to accidentally use a racial slur during a pregame show in Kansas City. During the segment, Kuiper was appeared alongside former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden and proceeded to explain that they had visited the city’s Negro League Museum earlier that day. Unfortunately, when saying the words Kuiper used a racial slur rather than the word “Negro.”
What exactly did Glen Kuiper say?
Speaking on air at the time, Kuiper’s controversial words went as follows: “We had a phenomenal day today: N***** League Museum and Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue,” said the long-time NBC commentator. To his credit, Kuiper apologized on the air during the sixth inning of the game that saw the A’s taking on the Kansas City Royals, referring to his use of the term as a verbal flub.
*You can see Kuiper’s words in the clip below, however be advised the language may be offensive to some.*
“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.” Incidentally, it wasn’t until Kuiper’s apology that fans really began to take notice. Indeed, following his admission, some social media users found the clip of him using the term and began to share it online. It wasn’t long after the conclusion of the game which Oakland won 12-8, before the team issued a statement via Twitter in which Kuiper’s language was condemned. The A’s also stated they would be addressing the situation.
Was Glen Kuiper’s choice of words intentional?
Before we tackle the context of the situation, it’s worth noting that a similar incident occurred back in 2020, when then-Cincinnati Reds commentator, Thom Brennaman, infamously used a homophobic slur for which he quickly apologized, however, it didn’t save him from an almost immediate suspension. To be clear, Brennaman was caught using the term on a hot mic, while Kuiper was fully aware that he was on air, though his language and tone do appear - to an extent - to be accidental. There has been no official word as to what happens next, but rest assured there will almost certainly be some form of action taken against the former minor league player, who has been announcing the A’s games since 2006.