Ear Hustle

Pam Oliver Dismissed Replaced By Erin Andrews As Sideline Reporter

This is really not a surprise to me I’m sad to say. It really was just a matter of time before the Fox Network was going to pull the old “bait and switch” move.  Pam Oliver has been on the sidelines for years and I am not seeing a reason for this change.  Don’t get me wrong change is not my problem, I do have an issue with a company and even the racially charged and unapologetic Fox News removing their #1 Sideline Reporter from her position.  What is the motive for such a move?

I do recall some months ago that there was an issue with her hair, and I truly believe that she was nailed to the hair cross and literally “crucified” by her own race and primarily by the women.  She was talked about as if she was a “Uncle Tom” on bended knee “House N****r” on a plantation in the middle of Georgia.  If there is a black woman who has not experienced issues with their hair (regardless of the season)….I’ve got a patch of land in the Everglades to sell you…(No for real..it’s really a great property, well worth the money!!) GTHOHWTM!!!

Replacing one of the most successful, beautiful, black and not to mention talented reporters for a younger, blonde, caucasian “bombshell” (a term loosely used) is simply a corporate cop-out by Fox.  In my humble opinion, this is the most incorrect “flag” on the field play I have ever seen!!

Could that social media frenzy have been a factor in Pam’s demotion or is it corporate age discrimination? Who knows it’s certainly a possibility.  Either way it’s not easy to prove but there is some light in this tunnel, Pam appears to have been offered a position as the “Senior Correspondent”.  How ironic is that?

Pam Oliver’s demotion from her NFL sideline gig suggests she’s no longer considered a Fox

Erin Andrews moves up to join Fox Sports’ No. 1 broadcast team this fall, while the veteran Oliver gets ‘elevated’ to a senior correspondent role.

Pam Oliver was Fox Sports' No. 1 NFL sideline reporter for 12 seasons.

There is wrath. And there is the wrath of Pam Oliver.

We felt it a few times. About a year ago, she was upset over the insightful, brilliant commentary we wrote about her partners Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Oliver came to their defense during a blistering telephone call.

If she was ticked over that, imagine how her mood swung after Fox Sports boss Eric Shanks yanked her from her role as Fox’s No. 1 sideline reporter, a post she held with great distinction for 12 seasons (she is entering her 20th year with Fox). The everything-is-cool pap coming out of her mouth now is robotic recitations from a scorned woman playing the role of company puppet.

Pam Oliver is loyal. Where exactly did that get her?

Oliver acting like a good soldier (gee, Shanks threw her a bone, allowing her to work this season with the maxi-hyped team of Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch) is only topped by the Foxies spinning this as some sort of promotion.

“Pam Oliver Elevated To Senior Correspondent” is the headline of Fox’s press release, intended to put some high-gloss polish on her demotion. Either that, or the Foxies were going for laughs.

Oliver knew what was going down months ago — at least that’s what she said a couple of days before the Jersey Super Bowl. In 2012, she knew her days were numbered when Fox Sports invested heavily in Erin Andrews, 36, who is 17 years younger than Oliver, 53.

Oliver, like many other women in the television business, is a victim of prejudice. It’s no revelation. Think about it. Men who work for sports divisions are actually paid to find women they think other men will drool over while watching a football telecast. This is more than creepy.

Yet when it comes to men, the Foxies have no problem with a heavyweight, triple-chinned Tony Siragusa roaming the sidelines. Fox pays Siragusa for his football knowledge and comedic value. That’s the way it should be. His looks are irrelevant.

Yet the kind of experience Oliver brought to the table, her years of outstanding work, meant nothing to Fox Sports suits. When it comes to ageism, sexism, and double standards, the Foxies are now officially triple threats. Shanks probably spent more time counting the wrinkles on Oliver’s forehead than the number of quality reports she delivered over the course of her career. Or maybe it was her hair he was concerned with.

The bet here is Andrews is going to get more face time than any other sideline reporter in the business. The Foxies didn’t make this switch to keep her in cold storage. And if Shanks doesn’t like how Andrews ultimately performs (or looks), he can “borrow” one of the many blond talkers on Fox News Channel’s roster.

Last week, Andrews was the target of a Boston-based radio gasbag’s vulgarity and stupidity. In time she will get over it. Oliver had it far worse: she was mistreated by the people she works for.

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Who think they are doing her a favor by making her a “senior” correspondent.

See?

Source: NY Daily News

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