I’m Sandy McAfee, a digital media professional living in Atlanta, GA. I’ve spent 10 years professionally in digital media for global sports brands. My skills run the gambit from content planning to visual design to writing, editing and SEO strategy. To this day, I continue a passion for storytelling and user experience that has driven my entire career.
My Journey
I got my start building websites for CBS Sports Digital. At CBS, a division of CBS Interactive, I worked in the college sports network. Our digital services team assisted more than 100 colleges, including Ohio State, USC and the University of Georgia, in the day-to-day management of their athletic websites. My time at CBS gave me a solid foundation in website development and design. I was part of several redesigns that emphasized builds for mobile (believe it or not, at the time some of our websites were not designed for phones). So, I developed skills in basic coding and styling, troubleshooting front-end bugs and managing files on servers. I also used my background in journalism to make sound editorial judgments, write headlines, caption photos, build galleries, update web pages and designing projects for tentpole moments such as National Signing Day.
After nearly three years in San Diego, I received the opportunity to work one state over in Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals in the NFL gave me the opportunity to be their digital platforms coordinator. It was a great next step. I used the skills I learned at CBS and devoted them to one website, AZCardinals.com. A year after I came on board, the NFL migrated all club websites to a new platform. I was the project manager for migrating AZCardinals.com to new Deltatre technology. I also worked with my first production team, helping the social and broadcast groups with storytelling projects and finding ways to market their pieces to our audience. After a few years managing the website, I also took the reins of our official Arizona Cardinals app. I partnered with Rover/Judo to promote unique experiences and key moments like the NFL Draft and schedule release. I also collaborated with our marketing team to make the gameday experience the best it could be. Additionally, I began to consider SEO, working as the club representative on digital calls with the league’s SEO team.
Following the pandemic, I had the opportunity to move back home when a position opened up for one of my hometown teams: Atlanta United in Major League Soccer. Initially, I expected this job to be platform-focused like the Cardinals where I operated both the website and app. After some restructuring, I took on more of an editorial role. I channeled my inner sportswriter from my days covering the Chicago Sky to write news and feature articles on the team. This allowed me to be directly involved in content creation as well as distribution and strategy.
Ahead of my fifth season at Atlanta United, I was promoted to the position of managing editor & lead writer. While I still oversee digital projects, primarily on atlutd.com, the role has given me the opportunity to own our editorial strategy in a more official capacity. I write lead stories on new player signings, guide team members and edit daily news stories, and bring together the voices of the club with larger storytelling projects.
