By Chris
Did you catch the Big Game last Sunday? It was a real nail-biter, came right down to the wire. Ohhh – you are talking about Super Bowl LVII? Not me — I’m talking about the SuperHoleIV. You know, the American Cornhole League’s big event at the big game! Well, Only Players was there, and with its popularity on the rise, and with another league stepping into the fray, one thing is for sure — Cornhole is here to stay.
Who among us hasn’t played Cornhole? We all know what it is, we have all played it or at the very least seen it played. At tailgates, at BBQs, at the beach; Cornhole is omnipresent anywhere fun is being had. And most of us have watched it on ESPN, but did you know you can wager on it? Yes, that’s right, you can bet on Cornhole and its popularity continues to rise. In fact, a new professional Cornhole league is launching — Major League Cornhole — in just two weeks. Which begs the question, how much Cornhole is too much Cornhole? That remains to be seen.
Here is what we do know:
- The American Cornhole League is the sanctioning body for the sport of professional cornhole in the United States and is the originator of competitive cornhole. Headquartered in Rock Hill, SC, the ACL hosts over 25,000 tournaments per year and has an active player base of over 100,000 tournament players.
- The ACL was founded in 2015 by ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore. The league debuted its first championship event in 2016, named the Championship of Bags, which aired on ESPN3. One year later, the ACL appeared on television for the first time, airing its 2017 Championships of Bags on ESPN2 on the back of its first ESPN deal.
- The two main divisions of the American Cornhole League are the Pro Division and Open Division. Pro Division tournaments are specifically reserved for ACL Pros. Open Division tournaments are open to all ACL members and to the general public. Both divisions span the length of the ACL season which runs from October through August each year.
- In 2020 amid the pandemic, the ACL aired on ESPN networks for six straight weeks, propelling exponential growth for the league and sport. In 2021, the ACL signed a network contract with CBS Sports and introduced a new ACL Pro Shootout Series.
- DraftKings puts out odds and has emerged as the leader in the cornhole wagering game, which has been active now for about three years.
Celebrities, pros, and Average Joes all seem to love the sport. We know we do. But can the market support a copycat League in Cornhole? Tell us what you think below and send us your thoughts on Professional Cornhole at [email protected].
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