Pam Oliver has had a long and illustrious career, but not many people have been aware of it due to the latest talks around her.
This week, ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer tweeted about how the 62-year-old was College GameDay’s onsite reporter for the show’s first roadshow 30 years ago. She was working at ESPN from 1993 to 1995 before she ultimately moved on.
Former ESPN personality personality Jemele Hill had zero clue about it.
“Wow, I never knew. So much love for her and the path she created for Black women in this field. She’s the gold standard in our business,” Hill tweeted.
Once her time with ESPN ended, she would join FOX as a sideline reporter and has been doing that ever since.
In the meantime, fans have been worried about Oliver as some games she appears to not be her usual self as many notice that she is stumbling or slurring her words.
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During her sideline report in the second half of the 49ers vs. Jaguars game, it was very noticeable. Fans immediately took to social media to offer their prayers and support for Oliver.
It turns out Oliver has suffered from chronic migraines her whole life and the effects have sometimes been noticed by viewers during Fox broadcasts. Oliver opened up about just how extensive the pain has been and how it’s even caused her to miss at least one NFL game.
“Well, I’ve had several [migraines] over the course of the football season,” said Oliver. “For example, I’ve gone from averaging 5-6 a month down to averaging 3 a month. I consider that being lucky. They’re very debilitating for me. They’ve been a problem for a very, very long time. It’s caused me to miss a few games over the span of my career because I just couldn’t take the noise and the light and the sickness that comes with that. The nausea and the vomiting.
“There was one game, about three-four years ago. I live in Atlanta. I was minutes from Mercedez-Benz [Stadium]. My driver, I said, you gotta pull over. We were less than five minutes from the stadium. I’m hurling. My head is pounding. And I made the decision right then and there, I’m no good to anyone. There’s no way that I felt like I was gonna get through that game, be productive, help the crew, contribute in any way. So, turned around and I went home. I felt so guilty about that for the longest time, but they really do knock me out of action.
“I feel like they’ve gotten better, just from the standpoint of having fewer. But they definitely are real. And they continue to plague me. And not to have people feel sorry for me, but that’s just the way it is. That’s just part of my health issue.”
