The Shadow
The Virginian Review introduced readers to Adrian Johnson, local American Cornhole League professional athlete, for putting Clifton Forge on the map, last year. At that time, Johnson had built himself a national fan base.
The Virginian Review recently caught up with Johnson at the place he got his start, Booker T. Washington Park, Clifton Forge, under the tutelage of local resident Richard “Third” Heighter, of the Mountain Baggers. He had just returned from competing in Detroit, MI and was preparing to compete in Canton, OH the following week.
Johnson explained that cornhole is played by Individuals, Doubles, and Teams. He won the game in MI, after being drafted to the Virginia Cutters Team and they played against the Kentucky Colonels in a tournament that was aired on CBS Sports. According to Johnson, Cornhole is the fastest-growing sport in the world. “We are doing the same numbers as other professional sports on television,” said Johnson.
Johnson went professional four years ago after “blowing up on social media.” He has the largest following in cornhole, with close to 1 billion views from his videos. From the videos, “People watched my grind and saw how much I love the game and how much I put into it,” said Johnson. He believes that’s what “excelled me forward and took me to the next level.”
Johnson explained that there are over 260,000 cornhole players and only 256 are pros. He is one of the 256. “You gotta get ranked and earn your pro level. It’s very tough, that’s why I practice four-five hours every day,” added Johnson.
“Cornhole is a lot bigger than people think it is,” said Johnson. For example, at his last tournament, there were over 1,500 teams, with over 3,000 players. Though there are millions of followers around the world, he is also discovering talent in his hometown.
Johnson describes himself as a professional player for ACL, but “AJ Motivation is who I am as a person.” “I love cornhole but that’s just not who I am. AJMotivation is who I am,” said Johnson. In addition to his cornhole videos, Johnson posts motivational videos, weekly.
“I like to start the week off on a positive note because times are hard,” said Johnson. He believes if you start the week off on a positive note, the week will probably end the same way.”
He also partners with a cornhole company, Gladiator Cornhole Gear, with ads appearing during ESPN televised sports.
Early next year, Johnson will be traveling internationally, to compete in Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and Spain, to name a few. And he is looking forward to making cornhole an Olympic sport and qualifying for the Olympic Team.
Johnson says his ultimate goal is “to be the best player I can be but also to venture into other things within cornhole because I have a massive following and would like to use my platform for the betterment of people.”
Johnson believes, “If you have a goal, chase it. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of life. But the regret of not trying is far worse than the regret of failing.”
Johnson resides in Clifton Forge and has two sons: Adrian, Jr. and Kayden. He says they are his “real motivation” and his everything. He wants to be something positive they can look up to and to also leave a legacy behind for them.
