During my career I've been asked if I would consider dying my hair brown. Or if I would consider wearing glasses on the air. All to look more girl next door, or to look more glamorous. What I would want to say now is "Would you ask a man to do that? Would you ask a man to go blond or dumb down his look?" Probably not. But what I said each and every time someone made a suggestion was "Absolutely not." Even if I wasn’t going to get the job because of my answer, then it wasn’t the job for me anyway, because I’d have to change who I am. I feel people connect more to people they watch on TV that they feel are being themselves. And so I’m going to stick to that no matter what.

There are so many misconceptions about women who work in sports and what it's really like to have our jobs. So what are some of the assumptions that drive me crazy? Read on.

1. Women aren't qualified to talk about sports. Even though there aren't as many of us in the business, women are just as qualified to talk about sports as men. The misconception comes from the idea that you can't talk about a specific sport if you haven't played it. What's funny is, there are so many male announcers/analysts/hosts who haven't played the sport they talk about. And what about all the coaches who never played the sport they're coaching? If they're qualified to coach, then women are just as qualified to cover a sport, whether they played or not.

2. We work in sports only to meet and date athletes. To think that a woman chooses her career simply for the purpose of marriage or meeting a man is just crazy. Aside from that, I don't know about you…but when I get home from work, I need a little break from talking about more work. My boyfriend is a big sports fan, so he doesn't mind when I have to spend a Friday night glued to the playoffs, but we both have common interests outside of sports, and I love that.

3. We’re all tomboys. I’m the girliest girl ever, but that shouldn't matter. Some women in sports are tomboys, and some aren't. Isn't that the case just in life in general? Women are more than just one term and shouldn't be labeled. You can be girly and know sports at the same time, just as someone can be sporty and not know too much about sports. Don't assume!

4. It’s glamorous. I won't lie, getting my hair and makeup done is nice. But I haven't always been in a position where I get that luxury. Along the way in my career, there have been plenty of times when I'm standing on a muddy football or baseball field in the rain and thunder, trying to balance myself while sinking in the grass, holding an umbrella in one hand, and a mic and notebook in the other, all while trying to look calm and presentable. I've done my makeup in a truck with the flip mode of the camera in my phone. And contrary to the popular belief that a sports announcer just shows up and goes straight in front of the camera, there's so much more that goes into a broadcast. We spend countless hours watching games, taking notes, working with researchers and statisticians, writing copy, working with editors, and perfecting a rundown all before the show starts.

5. All we do is read teleprompters. I do not use a teleprompter in either of my current jobs. On The Herd I speak from my mind, and everything is ad-lib. You literally couldn't script our three-hour live show if you tried. It wouldn't be the same. On American Ninja Warrior my interviews are entirely off the cuff because I am reacting to what happened seconds before. It's impossible to script. Whenever I've used a teleprompter in the past, it's likely because I am anchoring a show that has a strict rundown with highlights and packages that need perfect organization. But I can speak for most anchors I know when I say, whenever a teleprompter is used, we wrote at least 90 percent of the copy.