The World Series of Cornhole has announced a partnership with former NFL player Ted Ginn Jr. and the Ginn Foundation, creating a platform to expand opportunities for young people through sports, mentorship, and education. The collaboration, set to feature during the August 29-30 event in Columbus, Ohio, will position the Ginn Foundation as one of the primary charitable beneficiaries of the tournament. This partnership matters because it leverages the growing popularity of cornhole to fund structured youth development programs that address critical gaps in community support systems.
The partnership aligns with both organizations' missions to support youth development. The Ginn Foundation serves as a community hub anchored by Ginn Academy and Ginn Elite Sports, providing structured pathways for young people to stay active, focus on academics, and avoid distractions that can derail potential. According to Ginn, "All the main beneficiaries of my foundation are the kids. If you track the kids from 2015—or even earlier—to now, you'll see the progress and where they are today." The foundation's model connects early development to high-school excellence and college readiness through its feeder system, demonstrating how sustained intervention can alter life trajectories.
Ginn Elite Sports provides year-round training, travel competition, and big-stage opportunities, including a national youth program trip to Florida for champions each December. Ginn emphasized the program's impact, noting, "I have three kids at The Ohio State University as we speak. Without the Ginn Elite program, these guys wouldn't have had the opportunity—or the push—to want to go." This highlights the program's effectiveness in creating tangible educational outcomes, making the World Series of Cornhole partnership significant as it provides funding to scale such initiatives.
The World Series of Cornhole is engineered to pair sports legends with passionate fans and channel that energy into funding for youth foundations, veterans and military families, mental health initiatives, and disaster relief. Ginn sees cornhole as an inclusive sport that brings multiple races together and fosters competitiveness without the physical wear and tear of traditional sports. "Cornhole is about accuracy, knowing the game, preparing to compete," he said. "There are rules and strategy, but not a lot of physical impact—so more people can play, and keep playing." This accessibility makes cornhole an ideal vehicle for broad-based charitable engagement, expanding the donor base beyond traditional sports audiences.
The event will feature the foundation across WSOC's signature experiences, including the Heisman Toast VIP gatherings, LEGENDS Shootout Cornhole Tournament, Miss Cornhole competition, and VIP Tailgate. These events create natural moments for live fundraising, raffles, and fan-experience packages that raise dollars without slowing the show. The partnership represents Ginn's lifelong commitment to service, which he describes as the throughline of his career. "Giving back has opened doors for the guys coming behind me," he said. "Since my sophomore year, I've tried to help people stay who they are—on the field and off. You're not just changing a life; you're changing society." This philosophical approach underscores why the collaboration matters: it models how athletic platforms can drive systemic social change by supporting proven community programs like those detailed at https://www.ginnfoundation.org.
