BEVERLY HILLS, MICHIGAN — Today, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LEG) officially announced a fundamental evolution to its Thursday night cornhole format. Starting in Week 3, a squad-based team concept will begin, serving as a supplement to the traditional Thursday model of random partner rotations. The league’s three signature annual tournaments (Preseason Kick-Off, Singles and Postseason tournaments) are the pinnacle of the league, and will remain unchanged. This new infrastructure is specifically designed to inject higher stakes and heightened rivalries into regular Thursday nights.
The core motivation behind this proposal is simple: everyone raves about the game of 50s at the end of each Thursday, and a major reason is the team camaraderie and unique format. We want to build on that chemistry, while also giving Thursday nights a feel as though teams are actively playing for a collective goal with bigger stakes and bragging rights.
With the help of the LEG Competition Committee (consisting of Erik, JV, Nick and Paul G.) we’ve drafted players into six fixed four-person roster configurations. Below is the list of inaugural teams:
-Joe S.
-Matt H.
-Bushie
-Grandpa Dan
-Kentucky Mike
-Mike V.
-Roger
-Dibble
-Jake
-Austin
-Erik
-Brent
-KP
-JV
-Craig
-Coach Mike
-Mike R.
-Turley
-JG
-Barker
-Nick
-Paul G.
-Melissa
-Flowers
APPROVED COMPETITIVE FORMATS
To ensure unparalleled variety and emphasize the importance of strategic decision-making throughout the season, the new format schedule strictly prohibits repeat matchups. For example, when the Petoskeys play the Penguins, Nick and Paul G. could only play Turley and Barker in a doubles match one time this season.
Teams are expected to play at least one official teams match each week, unless no players are in attendance in a given week.
To accommodate fluctuating weekly attendance and add layers of strategy, matches can be
contested under four distinct formats, selected based on who is present at each night:
1. Traditional Doubles Match
Two players from Team A square off against two players from Team B in a standard cancellation-scoring battle to 21.
2. The 50s Match
A minimum of three rostered players must be present from each competing squad to play a 50s match.
3. Alternate-Shot Doubles
Two players from Team A each team line up at the exact same end of the board as two players from Team B. The throwing sequence is as follows: Player 1 from Team A throws bag one; Player 1 from Team B throws bag two; Player 2 from Team A throws bag three; Player 2 from Team B throws bag
four. The match is scored following traditional cancellation-scoring to 21.
4. Singles
While a team-centric league strongly discourages individual play, this format serves as a contingency in the event that only one squad member is present on a given Thursday – they can play qualifying games on behalf of their entire squad.
We are excited about this development, and hope you are too!
Stay tuned for more details as the season progresses.