The game, popular in bars and tailgating parties, is now a professional sport with national championships and tournament purses in the tens of thousands of dollars. Players and sponsors alike benefit from a growing interest in the sport. But a lot of work goes into making a championship like the one the American Cornhole League aired this week, when players battled live on ESPN.
The throngs of spectators wore ear buds during the tournament at Turn Back Time Farm in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, as a cocktail of gravity and arm strength resulted in a rhythmic thwacking of bags to boards. The acoustic drone was interrupted by the occasional roar of players’ ear buds as they tuned in to music, from Rage Against the Machine to country rap artists like Colt Ford. The players listened to music, not to distract themselves from the competition but to keep their arms sharp during the thrashing that takes place between matches.
The kickoff battle aired Saturday on ESPN and ESPN2, a day when the network was attempting to fill its usual sports schedule in a nation starved for entertainment. ESPN hoped that airing live cornhole would attract viewers who otherwise might be excited for baseball’s Opening Day, watching midseason NBA and NHL action or getting ready for NFL training camps.
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