Bay Area sports reporter Michael Wagaman Credit: NBC Sports
By Megan Armstrong on

Longtime Bay Area sports reporter Michael Wagaman has passed away. Wagaman had covered professional sports teams in the Bay Area since 1996, including for the Associated Press, and was freelancing for NBC Sports Bay Area and California at the time of his death.

As of this writing, Wagaman’s cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, though he had fought through health challenges for years. Four years ago, Wagaman’s son created a GoFundMe after Wagaman underwent emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor.

“I want to take a moment to acknowledge the unfortunate loss that the Bay Area sports world has suffered,” Dallas Braden said while calling the Athletics’ win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. “It’s the loss of longtime sports reporter [and] writer Michael Wagaman. He spent a ton of time covering all Bay Area sports since the mid-’90s. A mainstay at the ballpark.

“Just a fountain of positivity. One of the quirkier fellas that you’ll come across in the world of baseball, but a guy that would greet you with a smile in the elevator and just a positive thought each and every day.”

“He will be sorely missed. I know there’s a lot of writers across the Bay Area today who are mourning the loss of a man who has meant so much to them.  I mean, you’re hard-pressed to find individuals who enjoy being at the ballpark more than Wags. When we all got the news, it was just a moment to gather perspective and, I think, be where your feet are. So, Wags, brother, you will be missed.”

Jenny Cavnar offered her condolences to the Wagaman family and the Bay Area sports community.

Wagaman’s colleagues and friends also mourned him with an outpouring of tributes on X, which can be read below.

About Megan Armstrong

Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.

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