MJ Acosta-Ruiz: NFL Network presenter wants to 'take door off the hinges' in representation of women of colour in the sport

MJ Acosta-Ruiz became the first woman of colour to present Total Access on NFL Network when given the role in 2020

MJ Acosta-Ruiz is the host of the NFL Network's flagship show Total Access, having taken over in 2020 – though, at the time, she feared a phone call of a very different nature.

"I thought I was getting fired," Acosta-Ruiz said on the latest episode of Her Huddle (available as a podcast below).

"I never expected it. It happened in the middle of the pandemic - we didn't even know if we were going to have a season at that point.

"I thought, 'is this a joke?' I was very confused, and then very excited immediately.

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"All I wanted at that point was to make sure I still had a job. But it turned out to be a good call from my boss at the time to say I was going to be the new host. It was a beautiful moment."

'I'm trying to take the door right off the hinges'

Not only did Acosta-Ruiz still have a job, but she was to be the first woman of colour to host Total Access - a responsibility that she feels both pride in and the burden of.

MJ Acosta-Ruiz became the first woman of colour to present Total Access on NFL Network when given the role in 2020

"It was huge," she said. "Because my whole life I have been looking for that representation, to see myself reflected on the screen.

"Things like this, I didn't even know where available to me - certainly not as a child and not even when I first started in the industry.

"To now be that representation for so many others, it's a little heavy sometimes - but in a beautiful way. I know the barriers I'm breaking down.

"People always talk about 'opening the door'; I'm trying to take the door right off the hinges and make sure that everybody has opportunities."

'I don't have to limit myself to one box for people'

Acosta-Ruiz herself started out as a local sports reporter in Miami before stints in San Diego and then San Francisco once having joined the NFL Network.

While starting out in the industry, she was also a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins and says that despite the stereotyping that comes with being a cheerleader, she refuses to hide her achievement.

MJ Acosta-Ruiz was a former cheerleader with the Miami Dolphins

"It was one more barrier that I had to break down with people," Acosta-Ruiz said.

"There is that stigma of 'oh, she was just a cheerleader' - erroneously. Not knowing all of the work I had put in.

"I refuse to hide it. A lot of people said, 'maybe don't mention it' and I was like, 'why?'

"It was very hard to make that team! It was on my fifth try and I was already in the business as a reporter.

"I rebelled against that notion very quickly. I think there are a lot of girls looking up and realising 'I can be this and this - I don't have to limit myself to one box that people want to keep me in.'"

As for any further advice for women following in her footsteps in the industry, and the challenges she has faced herself as a female, Acosta-Ruiz added: "I think we're acutely aware as women in this industry, the margin for error is non-existent.

"It's about breaking free from knowing that and being able to lean into the job and remembering why you love it so much. And, not beating myself too much if I do slip up on something - remembering that I earned this spot.

"There are going to be critics and people that don't like you, and that's fine, but you have to remember to stay grounded. And that's harder to do than it seems."