Recently, we saw Thom Brennaman receive a second chance, just four years after the Cincinnati Reds broadcaster was caught using an anti-gay slur on a hot mic. Brennaman will call games for The CW this fall, and while not everyone agrees with the decision to give Brennaman a second chance, he’s certainly put in the work to educate himself about the word he used, which is very harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.
But Brennaman isn’t the only announcer looking for redemption.
Glen Kuiper, the former Oakland A’s play-by-play voice who lost his job after uttering a racial slur on air , is also in search of his next opportunity. While Kuiper took responsibility for using the slur (he said the n-word live on-air), he seemingly questioned why he was fired for the incident.
After being fired early in the 2023 season, broadcast booths haven’t considered touching Kuiper with a 10-foot pole (well, at least to our knowledge). But in speaking with Susan Slasser of the San Francisco Chronicle , Kuiper expressed his deep regret and desire for redemption.
“I hope and pray that somebody gives me a second chance because I think my track record is pretty good,” he said. “I think I’m a pretty good announcer, and I’ve got a lot left in me.”
Kuiper has a history of using the racial slur. According to Slasser, this was the second time he used the offensive term on air. The first incident occurred in June 2020 while discussing Negro League players depicted among cardboard cutouts.
This previous offense contributed to NBC Sports California’s termination of his contract.
Despite the controversy, Kuiper has garnered support from prominent figures in the Black baseball community, including Bob Kendrick , president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He’s also garnered support from an unsurprising place — his brother. Duane Kuiper maintains a divergent account of the incident, as he spoke with The Chronicle last month.
“He didn’t say the word,” Duane told Slasser. “He mispronounced the word ‘Negro.’ That’s a huge difference. If you follow the trail of what led him to mispronounce that word, he was talking about a positive experience at the Negro League Museum that day.
“This was the perfect storm. If you’re going to create a recipe on how to misspeak a word like ‘Negro,’ every ingredient was there, including the fact that (a producer) was speaking to him in his ear while this was going on.”
Unlike his brother, Kuiper acknowledges using the racial slur.
He expressed gratitude for the support he’s received but also recognized the challenges ahead.
“There are a lot of people who want to help; the list is long,” he said. “I think people are initially hesitant, and I hope that goes away, but I’m aware it’s going to be somewhat of an issue for people.”
Kuiper is aware of the potential outcomes. His hope lies in securing a second chance, as that’s the only path forward. With broadcasting as his lifelong passion, he’s eager to stay in the sports industry but acknowledges that it requires someone to offer him that opportunity.
[ SF Chronicle ]
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