The Philadelphia Cornhole League Is On The Rise
By Ray Boyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This is one of the best times of the year if you are a fan of Philadelphia sports. The Eagles are in full swing. The Sixers and Flyers are prepping for their seasons. It really is a wonderful time for the Philly sports fanatic.
The constant stream of games helps to fuel the competitive nature that seems to inherently live in Philadelphia sports fans, but sometimes we need an outlet for that which goes beyond simply rooting for our teams. We need to get out and play.
Some of us may be slightly passed our athletic primes, but there is a sport that is making an uprising in the city that you are probably very familiar with.
Cornhole, otherwise known as "baggo," might be the perfect sport to fuel that spirit.
Players from all around the city are coming together to take part in the Philadelphia Cornhole League and the league is beginning to make quite a name for itself in the region.
Owner and creator of the league, Andy Banas, joined the CBSPhilly Sports Beyond Measure Podcast to talk about the league, how it got started and the growth of the sport.
"I started playing probably ten years ago," said Andy. "I used to play intramural football, intramural softball and all of sorts of things like that and as I got into my thirties, I needed to find some things that weren't quite as full blown active."
Check out Andy's full interview below:
Banas picked up the game as a hobby and like many of us adopted it as a staple for tailgates, barbecues and family reunions; however, he soon identified potential for it that far exceeded just that.
Banas and his business partner, Chad Puchalski, with the league saw an opening for a league in this city that catered to people interested in playing the sport in a more social atmosphere.
"We knew that there really wasn't a group that had tried to make it into anything bigger. We adopted Philadelphia Cornhole League which is the actual website."
Banas opened the first league last fall and they immediately knew they had something special on their hands. "Within probably about three weeks, we filled up with 30 teams."
Within the first year, the Philadelphia Cornhole League has developed into a network of leagues and tournaments that play throughout the area at several venues.
"It's a community of fun people that people come together every night not just to play, and people come to play and be competitive, but you find a lot of people that come back week to week or on weekends to play just because it is such a fun group of people and community we created," said Banas.
The league has two upcoming tournaments that they are preparing for and there is still time to sign up. They will be hosting the Whitebrier Oktoberfest Tournament in Avalon, N.J. on Saturday, October 4, and the Cheerleaders Tournament in Philadelphia on October 11.
You can also register for fall leagues which includes weekly competitions at Johnny Utah's in Northern Liberties, Urban Saloon in Fairmount and Victory Beer Hall at Xfinity Live.
Banas stressed that all people, regardless of age or gender, come out and enjoy themselves playing cornhole and that it's an atmosphere that everyone will like.
Click here to find out more information about the Philadelphia Cornhole League and how you can get in on this fun, social and competitive league.
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