American sportscaster Pam Oliver is beloved by fans, but how long until her health forces her to retire?
A trailblazer for women in sports media, Pam has been on the sidelines reporting for the NFL for over 30 years. However, a freak accident during a preseason game over a decade ago has made it difficult for her to work.
In fact, in over 3 decades covering the sport, the only times Pam has missed a game is either due to her health or a family obligation.
But the question is this: will Pam Oliver’s health struggles force her retire?
We’ll let her speak for herself.
Pam Oliver attends the 43rd Annual Gracie Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 22, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Fans Concerned For Pam Oliver’s Health & Sending Prayers
“Why does Pam Oliver always look like she’s going through it when she’s reporting???”
That’s what one fan posted on X during Sunday’s Eagles at Saints game on September 23. Reporting from the sidelines as always for FOX sports, Pam gave a play by play as she always does during the season.
But something seemed wrong to fans.
“Praying for Pam Oliver!” another commenter posted on social media, sharing a screenshot video of her reporting.
In the video, Pam reports on the action in the game, and while she does fumble a few of her words, there still doesn’t seem to be anything to be overly concerned about.
And yet, there were still so many posts like this:
Praying for Pam Oliver! ???? pic.twitter.com/Ab9gESYNhi
— NFL Be Like (@TheNFLBeLike) September 22, 2024
“I’m not trying to be mean I am just concerned. There is something wrong with Pam Oliver.”
But is there any cause for concern?
Yes – and no.
Pam Oliver’s Health: Her Struggles With Migraines Revealed
Pam Olivier is one of millions of Americans who battle with debilitating migraines.
As her profile in the LA Times explains:
“Every week for the last decade, her migraines have increased. I’m sure it didn’t help that she was slugged with a tight spiral from a backup quarterback 11 years ago during a preseason game. The incident left her concussed, needing to stay in a lightless room for five days and only worsened the chronic migraines she has battled as an adult. She’s had fibroid surgeries almost every two years, like clockwork. There have been game days when she’s had to tell her driver to pull over so she could vomit in the road, the pain being too unbearable.”
Pam elaborate on her struggle more with speaking to The Athletic Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast:
“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.”
Pam Oliver interviews Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings during a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Will Her Health Force Her To Retire?
The good news is that, while she still has her bad days, Pam also admitted to the Athletic that she’s suffering less than she once did.
“I feel like they’ve gotten better, just from the standpoint of having fewer,” she explained, as she was averaging 5-6 a month and is now down to 3.
However, the fight is still very hard for her.
“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.”
But despite all that, Pam has zero plans to retire. At 63, she is still in the prime of her career and is looking to continue on for many more years to come.
Fox TV reporter Pam Oliver looks on prior to a game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Pam Oliver On Retirement: “I’m a Lifer!”
“When I dreamed of this job, I didn’t say: ‘Then when I get to this decade of my life, it’s over,’” Pam told the LA Times about retirement.
It seems that, no matter how much she has to suffer for it, Pam is ready to stay in the game of reporting. Perhaps part of that reason is to fight the unfair stereotype that women need to retire before men.
“For women, it’s pushed in front of you a lot more than it is for men,” she added.
“If I’m the longest tenured sideline reporter ever, with well over 500 games,” she huffs. “Why would you walk away from the best job, in the world, that you absolutely love?”
Pam Oliver’s Health Has Fans Concerned: Will She Retire This Year? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.