​Cornhole, a backyard game played by throwing beanbags at a board with a hole in it, is also played competitively in public venues. Although it first grew in popularity in the American Midwest, cornhole is now well-known throughout the United States and beyond.

The origins of cornhole are unknown and commonly disputed. Some people credit the Blackhawk tribe or other Native American populations with the game’s invention. Others contend it is a variation of a European game called quoits.

One of the most widely circulated stories of the creation of cornhole also accounts for its unusual name. This origin story takes place in 14th-century Germany and a cabinetmaker named Matthias Kuepermann. According to legend, Kuepermann became concerned about the safety of the children he saw tossing rocks into a groundhog’s hole. Using his carpentry skills, he designed a similar but safer game, replacing rocks with much softer bags of corn.

​Often called bean bag toss, cornhole is a lawn game played by tossing fabric sacks filled with plastic pellets toward a tilted board with a hole in the middle. Players stand at least 27 feet from the opposing board and compete individually or in teams. The game is centuries old, with some people tracing it to 14th century Germany, while others believe it originated in Kentucky in the 1800s. Over the years, competitive cornhole has evolved from a casual backyard game to a nationally televised sport with standard rules and regulations.

The American Cornhole Association oversees equipment standards and rules to promote fairness and consistency during matches. Regulation boards measure 2 feet by 4 feet and are made of wood with a centered hole cut out near the back of the board. The board tilts slightly toward the players, making the target (the hole) easily visible. In official competitions, players can only use approved fabric bags 6 inches by 6 inches in size. Games use eight bags divided evenly between teams, with each team’s bags a distinct color.

A standardized cornhole court for official competitions consists of two parallel lanes, with the total area measuring 8 feet wide by 40 feet long, and with sufficient overhead clearance to pitch the bags high in the air. Within each lane are two 4 foot by 3 foot pitching boxes at either end to designate where players will stand while tossing the bags, and there are boards at each end of the area. The boards sit between the boxes. A shared score tower helps track points between matches. Players must keep the playing surface and bags clear of anything that could affect game play.

Matches consist of alternating innings where teams take turns lobbing bags onto the opposite board. An inning starts with one player tossing their bag, followed by an opposing player. Teams throw one bag at a time until all eight bags have been pitched. Players have 20 seconds per throw. Play proceeds until either the 20-minute clock expires or one team reaches or surpasses 21 points, at which the team with the highest score wins.

Scoring only happens after each full inning when players have thrown all their bags. Landing a bag fully in the hole is worth three points, including those that fall in after being knocked off by another player's throw. Getting the bag to lay flat on the board or hang partially into the hole earns one point. A bag that hangs over the board's edge also counts as one point, unless it touches the ground. Players do not earn points if another player knocks their bag off the board during the round. Additionally, cornhole bags thrown outside the board boundaries or landing on the ground are “foul” and do not count.

Cornhole follows a scoring rule whereby the points earned by opposing teams cancel each other out, leaving only one team with a score each turn. For instance, if team A earns 4 points and team B gets 1 point, team A would record 3 points towards their total, i.e., 4 minus 1. Whichever team accrues more points in an inning throws first in the next round. Teams alternate throwing direction each inning as well.

The American Cornhole Association demands good sportsmanship through proper etiquette. The game's rules forbid profanity, insults, offensive gestures, loud noises, or actions intended to distract an opponent during their throw. Opposing players can call a timeout (pausing the game) or alert an official if conduct negatively impacts play. Officials will give warnings and can disqualify players for repeated infractions.

​The city of San Diego has been the home of numerous football teams at several levels of competition. No team has a longer tradition in the city than the Chargers, a National Football League (NFL) franchise. The Chargers played their first 10 seasons as an American Football League (AFL) franchise, including an inaugural season as the Los Angeles Chargers. The team brought early success to the city, reaching five championship games during the team’s first six seasons, with a win in 1963.

The Chargers made their only Super Bowl appearance in 1994, losing to the San Francisco 49ers. The Chargers left the city after the 2016 NFL season, concluding a 55-season tenure, and returned to Los Angeles.

The city hosted two professional football franchises after the departure of the Chargers. The Indoor Football League’s (IFL) San Diego Strike Force was announced as an expansion franchise in 2018. The team plays out of Pechanga Arena in the Midway district. Following a rough opening season and multiple COVID-impacted campaigns, Strike Force announced Vivian Lin as the new team president in 2021. The team has increased its win total each year. Information about the 2024 season is available at goifl.com.

Strike Force is the third indoor football franchise to play in the city, following the San Diego Riptide and the San Diego Shockwave. The Riptide played in San Diego as part of AF2, the developmental league for the Arena Football League, from 2002 to 2005. The team lost a close game in the National Conference Semifinals in 2002 after eliminating Bakersfield in the first round.

Shockwave, meanwhile, was introduced to the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) as an expansion team ahead of the 2007 season. The franchise operated out of Viejas Arena, home of the San Diego State Aztecs. Ownership removed the franchise from NIFL competition after one year despite considerable success: the team won 10 of 11 games played and won the NIFL championship.

Strike Force was briefly joined as an active football franchise by San Diego Fleet, one of eight teams in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The team was coached by former NFL head coach Mike Martz and played in San Diego Community College University Stadium. The pandemic greatly impacted the 2019 AAF season, and the league ultimately filed for bankruptcy.

The city has also hosted several women’s football teams, including the Sting, the Surge, and the So Cal Scorpions. The 2007 Scorpions won the Women’s Professional Football League championship after finishing the season with a perfect road record. The Surge completed their final season with a perfect 8-0 record.

The North County Cobras were a semi-professional football team playing in north San Diego County. The team went 12-1 during the 2009 season, the Cobra’s second year in the LaBelle Community Football League (LCFL). After securing the best record in the Western Conference Southern Division, the Cobras won the Western Conference Championship and the National LCFL Championship.

In addition to professional and semi-professional teams, multiple college programs operate within the city. These programs include the Quantico Marines Devil Dogs, San Diego State Aztecs, and the University of San Diego Toreros.