BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Vittert: Cornhole cheating symbolic to American politics

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – SEPTEMBER 09: A Boston College Eagles cornhole board before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Alumni Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — It is being called the greatest controversy in cornhole history and it’s the latest example of competitors cheating with no remorse.

Mark Richards and Philip Lopez thought they just won the American Cornhole League World Championships on ESPN.

That is, until their opponents accused them of using bags that weren’t regulation size. Turns out, both teams were cheating with smaller bags.

If you’re not familiar with the game, cornhole pairs teams of two against each other. They take turns throwing four small, weighted bags at a slanted board. Land the bag one the board, you get one point. Make it in the hole of the board, you get three.

The league has strict rules. Bags must be six by six inches when lying flat and they have to weigh 16 ounces. Here’s one of the managing partners of the American Cornhole Association on why bag size matters.

“Illegal beanbags outside of the spec, they can do different things, they can block the hole with a larger surface area. The smaller they are, the easier they go in the hole,” Eric Marvin said.

I mean after all, we’re talking about a $15,000 prize. But this isn’t a story about Cornhole. It’s a story about cheating.

Scandals are popping up everywhere you turn.

First there was the chess champion who inserted himself with a vibrating device during a major competition. A poker player did the same thing about a week later by using a vibrating ring in a televised round. And of course, you’ll remember the Ohio fishermen who stuffed weights in their catch. We introduced you to all of them last month.

You have to wonder where we went wrong. Politics flows downstream of culture. If it’s OK to cheat in culture and sports, suddenly it’s OK to cheat in politics. If it’s OK to cheat in politics, it’s OK to accuse the other side of cheating and declare yourself the winner, or claim the election was stolen.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and not of NewsNation.

On Balance with Leland Vittert

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

62°F Sunny Feels like 62°
Wind
0 mph WSW
Humidity
32%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NNE
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous