The American Cornhole League (ACL) is one of the sanctioning bodies for the sport of professional cornhole in the United States.[1] Headquartered in Rock Hill, SC, the ACL hosts over 25,000 tournaments per year and has an active player base of over 100,000 players.[2]

The ACL features a group of professional cornhole players each season that compete on television broadcasts (network partners include ESPN[1][3] and CBS).[4] These players are referred to as ACL Pros.[5][6][7]

The ACL is majority owned by ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore. In 2021, the ACL introduced its first outside investors of Asland Capital Partners and John Thompson III.[8][9]

History

The ACL was founded in 2015 by ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore.[9] Part of the standardization of equipment for the league was rooted in its proprietary ACL Bag Policy[10] which standardized the cornhole bag for competitive play and the league's partnership with AllCornhole for officially licensed ACL Pro cornhole boards. The league debuted its first championship event in 2016, named the Championship of Bags, which aired on ESPN3.[8][11] 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.[3][12] At the conclusion of the 2019 season, the ACL created a non-profit governing body for the sport in the United States called USA Cornhole, with the idea of making cornhole an Olympic Sport.[8][13]

In 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACL aired on ESPN networks for six straight weeks, propelling exponential growth for the league and sport.[4] In 2021, the ACL signed a network contract with CBS Sports and introduced a new ACL Pro Shootout Series.[5] At the end of 2021, ACL launched the Free ad-supported streaming television channel ACL Cornhole TV in partnership with Triple-B Media.[14]

Divisions

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 October through August each year.[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 Staff, S. V. G. (2020-01-22). "American Cornhole League, ESPN Pen New Multi-Year Deal". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  2. ↑ "The next great Olympic sport? It could be cornhole". ESPN.com. 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  3. 1 2 Holloway, Daniel (2020-05-13). "How Smaller, Quirkier Sports Are Stepping in to Fill the Live-Events Void". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  4. 1 2 Staff, S. V. G. (2020-12-07). "American Cornhole League Inks Multi-Year TV Deal With CBS Sports". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  5. 1 2 Frye, Andy. "Sports Fans, Are You Ready For Some Pro Cornhole?". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Jen (2020-02-02). "He Really, Really Wants to Win at Cornhole". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  7. ↑ Addicted1 (2019-06-09). "Meet the ACL Pros | 325 Pro Players | Cornhole Addicts". www.cornholeaddicts.com. Retrieved 2022-07-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 3 "Perfect Pitch: How American Cornhole League landed investors and consumers". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  9. 1 2 Coffey, Brendan (2021-09-14). "Cornhole League Shooting for Olympics as John Thompson III Leads VC Round". Sportico.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  10. ↑ Addicted1 (2021-07-08). "ACL Bag Policy | Bring Bags To Battle | Cornhole Addicts". www.cornholeaddicts.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "American Cornhole League". iplaycornhole.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  12. ↑ Staff, S. V. G. (2020-01-22). "American Cornhole League, ESPN Pen New Multi-Year Deal". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  13. ↑ "The next great Olympic sport? It could be cornhole". ESPN. 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  14. ↑ https://www.iplaycornhole.com/news/acl-announces-24-hour-channel-acl-cornhole-tv
  15. ↑ "American Cornhole League". iplaycornhole.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  16. ↑ "Leagues and Governing Bodies". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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