top of page

ACL vs ACO

American Cornhole Organization (ACO)

The ACO serves as the first major cornhole league and is responsible for many of the foundational pieces that make the sport what it is today. Founded in 2004 out of Cincinnati, Ohio by Frank Geers they hold recreational as well as professional tournaments all across the United States. The ACO is also responsible for introducing double sided bags to the game and bringing cornhole to ESPN for the first time in 2013. 

ACO-Shield..png

American Cornhole League (ACL)

The ACL serves as the second major cornhole league and has traditionally slightly different rules mainly regarding to the bag itself. It was founded by Stacy Moore and currently holds television contracts with ESPN making it the more successful of the two. They currently hold local, regional and national tournaments and have directors all across the United States.

icon-512x512.png

What's The Difference

The biggest difference between the two organizations is the bag rules. Up until the 2019 season participants in ACO sanctioned events had to use the one specific bag provided by the league. They have slightly modified this rule and now allows participants to select from a selection of four different bags although still provided by the league. 

​

As for the ACL their rules regarding bags are extremely laxed when compared to the ACO. They allow player to select any bag off of their approved bag list which includes upwards of 20 different brands. On top of this the real kicker is that the ACL allows players to bring their personal bags and do not provide participant's with them.

s-l400.png

ACL Sanctiond Bags

blue-pro_grande.png

ACO Sanctiond Bags

Why The Bags Matter

The popularity of the ACL raises questions to why the bag itself matters to the players. The number one reason for this is because the ACL's bag policy allows for players to play with different styles. Certain bags have more stopping power while others slide much faster. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

This is an option that the ACO bags simply do not give the players forcing everyone to play the same. This innovation is a key reason why the ACL has soared over the ACO in recent years.

​

The other key reason bags matter so much is familiarity. With the ACL allowing players to bring their own bags every player gets to play with something they are comfortable with. There is no more playing with bags for the first time which is extremely important when playing for thousands of dollars. 

​

Lastly you have the matter of the bags being broken in. Similar to a glove in baseball the more you throw a bag the better it gets at falling in the hole. This is key for scoring points considering a bag in the hole is worth three times more than one on the board. This again is another huge swing for the ACL and a major factor in the reason for the ACL's rise over the ACO.

​

​

ultra-bag-speed-scale-1-1024x468.jpg

Marketing and Exposure

Another key factor in the rise of the ACL is its ability to garner national attention unlike the ACO. Although the ACO is responsible for bringing the game to ESPN initially they do not anymore and have not for several years. This is where the ACL has taken off, since signing their initial three year contract with the network in 2016 they have already reupped for a multi-year extension continuing the games growth.

 

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the partnership with ESPN the ACL has been able to drastically increase prize money over the past two years with current projections showing continued  growth. The ideal goal at the moment is to reach 5 million in total prize money over the next few years and possibly more.

​

​

 "Our collaboration with ESPN has not only helped to further legitimize the sport of cornhole, it’s given us exposure to a wide audience of sports fans to appreciate the game,” said Stacey Moore, Commissioner and Founder, American Cornhole League. “We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the game and bring all of the amazing action to ESPN’s viewers.”

ESPN2_logo.png

Player Development

Another area that the ACL has greatly surpassed the ACO is in their ability to discover, develop, and hold onto their top talent. Just over the past year the ACO has lost their best player in the organizations history and possibly their best young star to the ACL.

aaa.jpg

Matt Guy

Nicknamed "The Champ" Guy is recognized as one of the most successful Cornhole players in the the games history. An 8-time ACO King of Cornhole champion and 2-time world doubles champion Guy got his start from his background in Horseshoe's and is continuing his success in 2020 with the ACL.

5fa9c184cef0d.image.jpg

Erick Davis

17-year-old phenom Davis blossomed into one of the best players in the ACO over his time with the organization. He was ranked #1 in the ACO at the age of 14 and was named the ACO player of the year in 2017. Currently for the 2020 season Davis is taking his talent along with Guy to the ACL

Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes from players making the switch from ACO to ACL. Several other big name players have made the transition in recent years and will continue to do so with the prize money and television exposure increasing every year in the ACL. As a result the funneling of talent from the ACO has resulted in the appearance of a farm system.

Starting Young and Branching Out

The ACL has also done its part in attracting youth to the game securing a future beyond the great players today. Currently 6 years old, Trevor Caballero has been making waves across the ACL circuit for his advanced ability at such a young age. He is already competing with adults and even winning his fair share of games propelling him to national attention. This attention has resulted in Sports Center reaching out to interview Caballero in regards to his love for the game and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

index.jpg

Caballero's attention is yet more exposure on a national platform for the ACL. This interview also opened up a possibility to form a partnership with a star in Mahomes who already has a commercial in which he participates in the game. If the ACL can pull off a partnership with the NFL star an all new road to endorsements could open up. It's also key to note this wouldn't be the first time they gained attention from NFL players. Notable New York Giants and Jets quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold went head to head earlier in 2020 on national television garnering attention from news organization like USA Today.

The branching out doesn't stop here, over the past few years other sports are either promoting the game on their own broadcast or using their athletes to form a connection with the ACL. MLB Network used their own studio 21 and airtime to feature the growing game by using it as a tiebreaker.

MLB Central has been on air since 2015 and has recieved a rating of 8/10 by IMDB. This display of the game helped the sport reach an entire new audience.

Budding Relationship with the MMA

Cornhole is also making waves outside the major sporting leagues. For the past two years the ACL and MMA have partnered in what they have coined "The Grudge Match" where fighter Jose Masvidal competes with ACL Pro Cody Henderson in a five round game. This has brought yet another set of eyes to the ACL helping to continue the growth.

Staying Fun and Fresh

While expansion is key as seen above the ACL has also made a steady focus towards retaining the fans they already have, especially the younger crowd. Simply throwing bags back and forth can get awfully boring for the younger generations especially in an age where Microsoft estimates the average attention span being 8 seconds. To combat this the ACL has tried several methods including maybe its most successful "Trick Shot Tuesday". Here they show wacky shots from across the country showing creativity along with energy and charisma.

Further Proof of ACL Dominance

In a 2020 article by ESPN they claim the ACL as the original founders of professional Cornhole completely looking over the actual founders the ACO.

​

​

About the American Cornhole League (ACL)

 

The American Cornhole League (ACL), the originators of competitive cornhole, promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for any age and any skill level. With over 350 directors all around the country, the ACL has solidified themselves as the go-to resource for all things cornhole. The organization has established the rules and regulations to govern the sport around the world. The ACL’s global headquarters are in Charlotte, North Carolina. For further information on the ACL or how to become a director, please visit the Company’s website at iplaycornhole.com.

120ef7659f943654dd19781ab5c9a4f3.png

In Conclusion

The ACL has dominated the marketing and branding of the game when compared to the ACO. Their contracts with networks like ESPN and relationships with other sports has them on an astronomical growth curve going forward. In contrast the ACO has become stagnant and ultimately has started dying when compared to the ACL. Chances of recovery for the ACO currently do not appear to be good due to the optics itself. Think about every other major sports league and there is one dominate organization. For example the NFL has utterly no competition even with the CFL and AFL. There simply isn't enough air time opportunity for two professional leagues which is why you see one pulling ahead of the other. Major networks like ESPN are not going to contract two leagues for a sport like Cornhole with so many other professional sports leagues. One could argue the best course of action for the ACO could be a potential merger with the ACL but that is even a long-shot as the ACL does not need any help expanding at the moment.

bottom of page