Pam Oliver hits out after being dumped from Fox Sports sidelines gig for Erin Andrews

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Pam Oliver says all the new people on air are 'young, blonde, and hot'
She believes that the Fox Sports network wants to look younger
Oliver will be replaced as a sidelines reporter by Erin Andrews
In spite of her criticism of the network she says she thinks her replacement is 'very capable'
Andrews landed the infamous post-game interview with Seahawks corner Richard Sherman where he called 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree 'sorry'

Published: 11:51 EST, 5 September 2014 | Updated: 16:51 EST, 5 September 2014

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Pam Oliver has spoken out after being dumped from her role as NFL sideline reporter in favor of Erin Andrews, saying all the new people on air are 'young, blonde and hot.'

It was announced in July that Andrews, who was hired from ESPN two years ago, was to replace Oliver on the sidelines as part of Fox's NFL coverage with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

Fox Sports president said Oliver would stay on as a sideline reporter, working with Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch, who are often considered the 'B team.'

Pam Oliver, left, who has hit out after being bumped from her role on Fox Sports in favour of Erin Andrews, right

Now the 53-year-old has hit out at Fox Sports saying when they told her they wanted the network to look radically different, she assumes they meant they wanted it to look younger.

Writing in Essence magazine she explained: 'It’s not difficult to notice that the new on-air people there are all young, blonde and hot.'

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'That’s not to say that Erin isn’t capable. I think she’s very capable. She’s also popular on Twitter and social media, so I can see how that would also make her highly sought after.'

'Still, covering the NFL is a big deal. Stations like ABC and NBC entrust their programming to veterans. So when people talk about all networks making a turn to a particular type of girl on the sidelines, it doesn’t hold water.'

The 53-year-old says Fox Sports told her they wanted the network to look radically different, which she assumes meant they wanted to look younger

Oliver pursued a career in broadcast journalism after excelling in college sports, notably track and field, where she was selected All-American.

Oliver began working at ESPN in 1993, afterwards moving to Fox, where she worked as an NFL sideline reporter for 19 seasons. She also covered the NBA playoffs.

Her new role will see her conduct interviews and commentary on other Fox and Fox Sports 1 shows, such as Fox Sports Live and Fox Sports 1 on 1 and sports beyond the NFL.

One of her more memorable moments came last year when she was hit in the face by a wild throw from Indianapolis back-up QB Chandler Harnish before a preseason game in 2013.

She carried on with the broadcast and was able to laugh off the incident, in spite of later being diagnosed with a concussion.

Andrews, pictured, joined Fox Sports in 2012 after previously working for ESPN

Seahawks' Richard Sherman rants to Erin Andrews

'Who was talking about you?': Erin Andrews's interview with Seahawks cornerback Michael Crabtree became national headlines after the NFC Championship game

Andrews joined Fox Sports two years ago and during last year's NFL postseason was paired with Oliver on the field.

After the NFC Championship game, it was Andrews, not Oliver, who got the sideline interview with Richard Sherman, where the adrenaline-fueled corner called out 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree.

The rant went viral, and Andrews ended up doing a media tour that included an interview on Late Night with David Letterman.

Andrews's arrival at Fox followed Oliver's trajectory, as the Dancing with the Stars host had covered college football and other sports at ESPN since 2004.

It was reported that Fox Sports 'aggressively pursued' the 36-year-old to join the network after leaving ESPN in 2012 when her contract expired.