Former sports writer joins AFN team

Sports fans nationwide follow their favorite football teams in action each fall, whether through youth football leagues, high school and collegiate teams, or professional organizations.

In fact, according to an Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) article, an average of 17.9 million sports fans tuned in to the NFL’s regular season games last year. Meanwhile, NBC Sports reported in October 2023 that college football ranked No. 1 – throughout seven weekends – for its Saturday night prime-time football viewing, with an average of 4.1 million viewers across various NBC platforms.

Sports play an important role in the lives of many individuals – including that of Parrish Alford, associate editor of American Family News (AFN), AFA’s news department. But before joining AFN, he was an award-winning sports writer and columnist.

Writing about sports

Alford’s love for sports began when he was young. In the ninth grade, he decided that although he wasn’t sure what his future career would look like, sports would somehow be a part of it.

“I decided that I could either ‘coach it’ or ‘write it’ and make about the same money,” Alford explained. “So, I got into newspaper [writing].”

After completing his college education at the former Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe in 1989, Alford began his writing career. He worked for various newspapers, including the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (1993 to 2023).

Alford told The Stand that he witnessed and covered some exciting moments in sports history during his time at the Daily Journal. One of the most memorable was in 2022, when he watched the University of Mississippi win the national baseball collegiate championship in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sharing his faith

Yet, for Alford, his position as a sports writer was always about more than gold rings and championship titles. While working in sports news, he took the time to build relationships with players and coaches. He even helped them share their faith when the opportunity arose.

“I never really felt called to write for the religion section of the newspaper,” Alford stated. “I just never felt like that was me, and I always enjoyed letting athletes and coaches share their faith through me.

“Whenever we had any coach or athlete talk about Jesus or credit their faith, … I looked for those opportunities. And I had a number of them through the years.”

Serving in ministry

Over time, Alford began to sense the Lord leading him in a different direction. In March 2023, following multiple conversations with AFA leadership, he officially joined the AFA team. Since then, Alford has served as AFN’s associate editor. In this role, he writes long-form articles based on content previously shared on AFR shows, such as Washington Watch and Jenna Ellis in the Morning.

Alford explained that one reason he enjoys this position is because he gets to “come in early in the morning and leave while the sun is still up,” which gives him more time to spend with his wife, Laurie, and their adult children, Emily and Kyle.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the work done here and the impact that the ministry has all over,” Alford shared. “I [am] just very grateful for this opportunity.”