Corntoss Takes The Country By Storm

This year was the year that the game of cornhole finally made it's mark on the United States. Cornhole you say? Cornhole is a game that involves throwing 8 corn-filled bags at a wooden platform target and aiming for the hole that is towards the top. It has long been a staple of the summer in the midwest and this year it really started to break out of its shell, thanks to some national exposure.

Really, the national media couldn't help but pay attention to the game. Anytime they'd broadcast at a sporting event, the sportscaster would have to scratch their head at why such a large amount of people were playing this game. There were a number of high profile articles in the newspaper, two of the more prominent were a front page Wall Street Journal story as well as a Chicago Sun Times mention. And then there was the movie that was slated for release! Yes, a cornhole movie was casted and started filming in 2007 by a native Cincinattian.

So what makes this game appealing? Well there are a lot of things. Most of it involves the very simple and innocent nature of the game. It's not physically demanding, it's all inclusive, and the boards are portable so you can play anywhere you can bring your sets. That's an appealing thing when the closest substitute up until now was horseshoes, which wasn't exactly the easiest thing to setup. Now players can just throw the boards in their car and be off to their next party. With just a set of flood lights, they can be playing until the late hours of the night.

So it might be surprising to people around the US that this game is so popular. But to people in the midwest, it's a staple in the backyard and will continue to be. Once the weather warms up, the boards come out and people gather around to play the summer pastime of the midwest.

Dave Roth runs a site focusing on the game of cornhole. The site features building plans, game rules, and discount cornhole sets.