Initially, the only thing that mattered to me - I was too young to understand the politics of the day - was that there was a woman who was covering the NFL. I asked my mom if I could be a sportscaster when I grew up. My mom was an adventurous spirit herself. Much to my mom's credit, she said, "Yes, you can." It didn't matter to her that no other women were doing it at the time. It didn't matter to her that there was a double standard. It just mattered that her daughter had a dream and she was going to help her pursue that.

We don't have a rooting interest. We have an interest in watching people excel and then coming up with creative ways to describe it.

Every game is an away game. Sometimes its hard to keep up with real life.

Don't be afraid to ask people 'why,' 'what if.' Don't be afraid to attack your career. Get in the game, don't stay on the sidelines.

For years, more women were steered toward the studio or toward being a reporter. If that's what you want to do and that's what you love - by all means, go do it. That's OK to be ambitious and do things that are out of the norm if that's the route you want to take. We're already seeing women breaking down those barriers in what was once male-dominated. There are opportunities for women to fill those roles.

You always have to go for bigger and better things.

I've come to understand over the years that you're not going to please everybody. Some people are not interested in seeing a woman in the role of a broadcaster. But there are a lot of people who do come into this with an open mind, and it's up to me to prove to them that I'm qualified for the job and can get it done.