Pam Oliver Begins 20th and Final Season as Fox Sports Sideline Reporter

It was the first Sunday of the 2014 NFL season. One of the game’s staple sideline reporters, Pam Oliver, is entering the final season on field for Fox Sports. Recently it was revealed that Oliver would no longer be the lead sideline reporter for the network, that distinction has been given to Erin Andrews. While some were ready to raise the racism flag, in a recent interview with Essence, Oliver said the move actually had to do with something else.

With 36-year-old Andrews taking the top role and Oliver being demoted, the African-American reporter was repeatedly asked if she thought it was anything to do with race. “No. I definitely do not,” she replied steadfastly. Whether it was because of the 17-year age difference, “Well, maybe,” she confessed. “The business is very demographic-oriented. As one executive said to me, Fox Sports will look radically different in the coming years. I assume that means they want to look younger.

“It’s not difficult to notice that the new on-air people there are all young, blond and ‘hot.’ That’s not to say that Erin isn’t capable,” she said of the “Dancing With the Stars”

Television has a history of replacing veterans with a younger version. Especially when it comes to women reporters.