The Fascinating History of Cornhole – Is It a Sport?
A History of Cornhole - what are the origin theories behind the game (or is it a sport?)
Cornhole, or locally known as Bean Bag Toss or Sack Toss, is a lawn game that makes up a popular outdoor activity, and we even get to see a version of it on popular game shows such as “Survivor.”
But who would have thought that a game so simple and ordinary has some of the most debated and fascinating histories, with many unanswered questions about its true origin?
Is this game even considered a sport in the modern world?
If you’re intrigued, keep reading because we are about to figure it all out!
Cornhole - Looking into the history of this popular game.
The Cornhole Game
Cornhole is a popular game in North America, where teams of players take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a hole that is cut at the far end of a raised, angled board.
The players get points by either landing a bag on the board (for 1 point) or getting the bag in the hole (for 3 points).
It is a rather simple, fun game that can be enjoyed by the whole family! This makes the game very popular and beloved.
A version of it has been adjusted and played at many events. Even bars and pubs across the United States now host regular cornhole tournaments. Cornhole is simple and easily portable.
Let’s be honest, you don’t have to be a star athlete to play a good game of cornhole, and it is easy to see why it became so popular in the first place. But what is the origin story of this seemingly simple game?
There are many arguments and theories about its origin, and we will explore each one here.
The History and Origins of Cornhole
Theory 1: The Midwest Region
Considering the popularity of this game in the U.S., specifically Cincinnati, Ohio, it is no surprise that one of the main theories about its origin is concentrated in the U.S., specifically Cincinnati, Ohio and Kentucky.
Cincinnati is widely accepted as the birthplace of cornhole and the first game can be traced back to the 1960s.
However, there is another story that claims that the pioneer and farmer Jebediah McGillicuddy started playing a distinctive game of “baggo” in the mountains of Kentucky.
The locals took notice, and so the game spread like a wildfire and became popular in other places, too.
Theory 2: The Native American Tribes
These theories seem newer, as many fans go further into tracing the history of cornhole.
These people say that Americans learned about the cornhole game from the first inhabitants of the American landscape – the Native Americans, part of the Blackhawk Tribe in Illinois.
Allegedly, they used dried animal bladders as ‘bags’ and filled them with corn kernels which they then used to toss and play with to compete.
Theory 3: Bean-bag Bull’s-eye & Chicago
Speaking of Illinois, Chicago is another popular theory.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a similar game increased in popularity in Chicago due to a Popular Mechanics article about the game.
Coming out in 1974, this famous article was named “Bean-bag Bull’s-eye” and it was written by Carolyn Farrell.
In the article, she spoke about a game that was played with bean bags and a board that was the same width as modern cornhole boards (24"), but was 12” smaller in length than the one used in cornhole.
It was only 36" long as opposed to the 48" length used in cornhole today.
The hole had the same diameter as cornhole (6”) but was centred 1” more from the back of the board.
Scoring was essentially the same as it is today, and each player had two bags to toss.
Chicago had their own version of the game around the same time. This version of the game was called simply “bags” and mentioned the usage of rectangular bags instead of oval.
Theory 4: The Germans
Many argue that we are looking at the wrong continent, and the origin of the cornhole game can be traced back to Europe, specifically Germany.
This theory states that in 1325, in good-old Germany, a cabin maker called Matthias Kuepermann was watching kids throw stones into a dug hole while playing this game.
The kids often ended up with injuries so to help them, he came up with a less dangerous way for them to play, namely using bags filled with grains and a box made of cabinet materials that were lying around his shop.
This is a very plausible option, as one can easily see the grain bags being replaced with corn bags in the U.S., considering the number of immigrants and farmers from Germany who arrived in the U.S. during the nineteenth century.
These new arrivals may have brought the knowledge of this game with them, as well as the abundance of corn crops and low corn prices in the U.S.
Theory 5: The Heyliger Adams De Windt pattern
A concept game that strongly resembles the cornhole game that we know today was called Parlor Quoits.
The Parlor Quoits game was extremely similar to cornhole, as it displayed the majority of the features of modern cornhole, with one exception- it had a square hole on the board instead of a round one.
Back in 1883, the Heyliger Adams De Windt company received a patent for the game. They were trying to adjust several of their prior “parlor quoits” games to adapt the game for indoor play.
As a result, he suggested the usage of bean bags and slanted boards with a hole in them.
He then sold the rights to the game to a Massachusetts toy manufacturer that marketed a version of it under the name "Faba Baga.”
The board for the Faba Baga game differed a little from the modern cornhole game.
It had two different-sized holes that were giving two different point values and each player used one extra-large bag per round to score double points.
Is Cornhole considered a sport?
Many people argue that the game is not a sport as it lacks physical exertion.
However, due to its competitiveness and the fact that it takes some sort of physical activity, cornhole is considered a sport by many people.
In 2005, in Milford, Ohio, the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) was established to be the “governing body for the sport of Cornhole.”
In 2015, Stacy Moore founded the American Cornhole League which according to their website is used to promote the game and develop it as a sport on every level.
They are also working on creating software and apps to manage cornhole leagues, tournaments, special events and player development.
The American Cornhole Association (ACA) was also established with the goal of helping the players enjoy the game. The association largely focuses on selling cornhole-related products and equipment.
They do have their own rules and sponsor events, but they do not really act as a sanctioning body of the sport.
As a matter of fact, Cornhole became so popular that the American Cornhole Organization’s World Championships of Cornhole X have even received airtime on ESPN.
