Real people.
Real people.
In 2014, Sandlot Co-Founder Emily McCarthy connected with Niantic, a little known group operating inside of Google at the time. Niantic was pioneering a new way for people to explore the real world with mapping technology and games – this was years before Pokémon Go would reach billions of people across the globe.
Emily established a community focused partnership between Niantic and GORUCK, a rucking company Emily co-founded with her husband, Jason McCarthy; that partnership led to a lasting friendship and would eventually help inspire the launch of Sandlot.
Real Communities.
Real Communities.
Emily and Jason have always maintained community at the center of GORUCK. And as rucking continued to grow, empowering GORUCK’s +500 community-led Ruck Clubs all over the world became challenging. Existing tech platforms and social media forums did not work because Ruck Clubs are not virtual. GORUCK needed a solution that integrated maps and made meeting up in the real world simple.
Real connections.
Real connections.
Emily and Jason tapped B.J. Naedele to help. B.J. was a longtime friend of GORUCK, a devoted rucker, and he had experience in digital fitness. Together, Emily, Jason, and B.J., realized there were broader implications to the problem they were solving – namely, connecting people through fitness and sports in all of its forms.
Combining mapping technology with real world events brings people together and builds community – empowering us to lead healthier, more active and connected lives.
Real world.
Real world.
So, at the height of the global pandemic in 2020, as people were spending more and more time in front of screens and more and more technology companies dedicated themselves to ensuring life would stay that way, Emily, Jason, and B.J. launched Sandlot. The name was aptly inspired by the sandlots they went to as kids, where they would meet friends and play outside.
Real impact.
Real impact.
Sandlot is part events, part training, part social gathering, all in the real world. We believe outside is better than inside, we believe real is better than virtual, and we believe friends are better than strangers. Technology is not an end state, it’s a tool.
Get out and play!
Meet the leadership team
Jason
Emily
B.J.
Malaika
