‘BagGate’ cheating scandal rocks rofessional cornhole world

You've never heard of the largest professional sports scandal. Since the top-ranked team was alleged to have utilised illegal bean bags at the 2022 American Cornhole League World Championships in August, professional cornhole has been rocked by scandal. The now-famous incident, dubbed "BagGate," started when competitor Devon Harbaugh claimed that other competitors Mark Richards and Philip Lopez were using bags that were smaller than allowed during the finals, which were televised live on ESPN from Rock Hill, South Carolina. Harbaugh told The Wall Street Journal, "I thought the bags were excessively thin, and I was right. Richards and Lopez's bean bags were inspected by officials who later determined that they were, in fact, out of proportion. “They’re too small,” ESPN’s cornhole color commentator Mark Pryor remarked. “That’s going to create some drama.” In response, Lopez and Richards requested that their opponents bags also be inspected. Their bags were also found to be not compliant. ACL rules state that cornhole bags must be 6 by 6 inches when placed flat and 16 ounces in weight, with small deviations allowed. The tournament with a $15,000 cash prize at stake was delayed for an hour until organizers ruled the breaches were not deliberate. In response to charges of cheating, ACL spokesman Trey Ryder told WSJ, "I'm quite convinced that it wasn't purposeful, though it's possible." The traditional yard game of cornhole, which is played at tailgates and barbecues, has quickly developed into a competitive sport with professional athletes and sponsors. Players have been doing whatever they can to gain an advantage over the competition in light of the significant growth and infusion of cash, including doctoring their bags. Players have started boiling their bags or rinsing them in vinegar to make them more malleable, as lighter, thinner bags can be advantageous. Professional cornhole player Nate Voyer told the Journal that "you have the average players that try everything to make the bag do different things." Voyer decides to air dry his bag after washing it with a little fabric softener. Harbaugh denied tampering with his luggage in preparation for the ACL World Championship. “Honestly it could be anything,” he says. “Definitely unintentional.” His opponent, Lopez, also said he doesn’t know how his bags shrunk, denying that he boiled them. In response to “BagGate,” ACL has had to step up its policing. “We’ve really had to crack down to make sure that all these bags are to spec,” Ryder said. “Internally we’ve had to invest more into our compliance.” More bags than ever have been rejected for the upcoming season, when random bag checks will be in place, he said. The league is also exploring “automated bag testing.” “We believe we are taking a major step,”Ryder added.