Pam Oliver Calls Fox’s Demotion ‘Humiliating’ + Believes Age, Not Race Influenced Decision

This summer, a bit of shocking sports news hit. Fox Sports pulled the plug on Pam Oliver (53), revealing that she would be replaced on the sidelines by Erin Andrews (36), a former ESPN reporter. While some suggested racism and ageism, Pam remained mum — until now. In an open-letter of sorts, Pam shares her side of what happened, saying that quite frankly she was humiliated. Read a few excerpts.

On hearing rumors beforehand:

Even before my bosses told me what was going on, there had been rumblings that my days as a sideline reporter were coming to an end. Two years earlier, Fox Sports had hired Erin Andrews, a high-profile side-line reporter from ESPN, and I knew they hadn’t brought her on just to be a benchwarmer. Colleagues, and even coaches and players, would come up to me and say things like, “Boy, you’re handling this well. You’re really a class act.” But I let the rumors roll off my back. Without official confirmation about a change in my position, I decided I was going to do my work like I always had. Still, I was humiliated.

How she learned that she was being demoted:

My bosses finally called a meeting in April. One was in New York City, the other was in Los Angeles,