Baseballhas stood solidly by , marking the passing of time while America rolls by " like an USA of steamrollers , " grant to the movie " Field of Dreams " and many baseball game purist .
And while the " grand erstwhile secret plan " has been buffeted through the long time by everything fromartificial turfto designated hitters to the addition ofrobot umpires , it seems Major League Baseball better shoulder strap in because it ’s about to get hit by Banana Ball . hold back , banana what ?
What Is Banana Ball?
That ’s right . We ’re talking aboutBanana Ball . What started out as a college summer conference team in steamy Savannah , Georgia , has turned into nothing short of a baseball phenomenon . TheSavannah Bananas(try saying that without smiling ) have all but rewritten the baseball rulebook in terms of biz day amusement . A ticket ( which can be as slight as $ 20 ) include entering to the game , parking and all - the - approximate range - solid food - you - can - consume , as well as day-and-night family - friendly shenanigans from " play clump " to the final out .
The end is engagement on and off the field . And that means major changes to the path the plot is played .
Jesse Cole , who owns and operates the Savannah Bananas with his wife , Emily , believes fans hail first ( hence the name of his companionship , Fans First Entertainment ) . They came up with the rule for Banana Ball based on information , not the latest insabermetricsor musician stats . You ca n’t overlook him either . Cole wear out one of his seven promising yellow tuxes ( yes , yellow dinner jacket ) to every plot and he ’s always commingle it up with the players and crowds . It ’s part of the fun .
" I watch buff , " Cole state . " We play nine innings in one hour and 50 minutes the other day . We know that 98 per centum of our fans stay to the end of a Banana Ball biz . We know our waitlist ( for ticket ) is about to hit 90,000 and fans are coming in from all over the country . When someone buys a tag for 10 meter face note value on StubHub and fans are driving 20 , 30 hours to come to a game and is still saying it ’s everything we hop it would be , we ’re capable to see that requirement has been built . "
The Rules of Banana Ball
Did he say they toy nine innings in less than two hours ? Yep . That ’s because the rule ofBanana Ballare a bit dissimilar from those of a typical baseball game plot . There might be nine innings in baseball game , but there are justninerulesin Banana Ball :
From Sand Gnats to Savannah Bananas
Cole says he and Emily sleep together baseball game . He grew up playing baseball ; heplayed for Wofford Collegein Spartanburg , South Carolina , but any chance he had of a baseball game calling was cut forgetful by a shoulder trauma . That ’s when Cole became a full - time spectator .
He and Emily met and fell in love while working for the minor leagueGastonia Grizzliesin North Carolina , where in August 2014 , Cole proposed in front of a sold - out crowd during the last game of the time of year ( in a jaundiced tuxedo of course ) . " give thanks goodness she said ' yes , ' " Cole enounce . " That would ’ve been sticky for everybody . "
A week later Emily surprised Cole with a misstep to Savannah where they discovered the rundown , but beautiful , 4,000 - seatGrayson Stadium , then - home of the South Atlantic LeagueSavannah Sand Gnats(a former minor league affiliate of the New York Mets ) . The game was sparsely attended . A " completely dead environment " as Cole describes it . He called the league ’s commissioner and said if the team ever leave , he want the market and the stadium .
" We could build something especial here , " Cole told him .
In 2015 , the Sand Gnats fold up shop class and Cole purchase the expansion right field . They held a naming competition for the young team , root on the alliterative Savannah Bananas . People hat it — but they remembered it .
The team connect theCoastal Plain League ( CPL ) , a college summertime league like theCape Cod League . The Coles also quickly found themselves in debt . Lots of it . But hey ! It ’s baseball game . If you build it , the fans will descend , right ? They did .
The team played standard nine - inning baseball in the CPL starting in 2016 ( they come through the conference championship in 2016 , 2021 and 2022 ) , selling out every game . But by 2020 , Cole began experimenting , finally fielding a pro squad that play Banana Ball exhibitions against another exhibition team ( theParty Animals ) and college team in the Southeast . Think of them as theHarlem Globetrottersof baseball .
Banana Ball Goes Viral
The crowds — whether home or away — went wild for the truncated secret plan with its tweaked rules and jinks , breakdancing coaches and kilt - clad ballplayers . They even present a beloved Banana Baby — an infant swaddled in a banana costume — to the crowd and raise them to the Banana Baseball Supreme Being . There ’s now a lengthy wait list for parents eager to have their babies serve as Banana Baby .
All of these antics were capture on video and lead viral — first on Facebook and Instagram and then explode on TikTok . And there ’s nothing like get more than3 million TikTok followersa to create a hotshot . To put that in position : No team in Major League Baseball comes near to that number of TikTok following .
This likely came as little surprisal to Cole , who says he ’s profoundly influenced by fabled dreamers likeP.T. Barnumand Walt Disney . Every 24-hour interval he compose down 10 estimation and has since 2015 .
" I ’ve got 5,000 terrible ideas but the realism is that it ’s the ideas that keep us going , keep us sweet and doing things that people have never see on a baseball field before , " he order .
The Banana Ball World Tour
The Savannah Bananas soon found themselves splashed in the media from CNN to The New York Times to NPR.CBS This Morningand The Today Show number call . A five - part original reality series promise " Bananaland " is currently airing on ESPN+ .
At the end of the 2022 time of year , which find out the pro team split two games against theKansas City Monarchsof the American Association , Cole made the determination to take his team pro , decide to go all - in on Banana Ball . They held squad test and field two teams — the Savannah Bananas and The Party Animals . Cole hired MLB star and analyst , Eric Byrnes , to cope the 2022 Bananas squad — and take both teams on the 2022 Banana Ball World Tour . They play 73 biz in seven cities .
" We resolve to leave the CPL and collegial summertime league to become a full - time professional baseball squad playing Banana Ball , " he says . " We subsist to make baseball game play . Banana Ball is who we can do it good for our squad and most importantly for our fans . "
The 2023 Banana Ball World Tour schedule will be announced in early October , but the squad is expect to chit-chat more than 20 metropolis from February to September . Tyler Gillum will be head coachof the Bananas and Byrnes will continue to coach as well .
It ’s a lofty ideal but can it last ?
" Who know if this is a sustainable decision for X to add up , " says North Johnson , former GM of the Gwinnett Stripes and now - go to sleep 30 - yr old-timer of the modest conference baseball system . " The Bananas are not ' professional baseball ' as we delimit it , but they do n’t really profess to be or want to be anything like MLB - affiliate baseball game . The Bananas have constitute a devotee market unlike any other in any phase of baseball game and they are running with it . baseball game needed a wake - up call and this certainly seems to be it . "
" I recall a sight of people are propel and inspired by development and profit ; not me , " Cole says . " For me it ’s at the terminal of the night , when the fans are entrust and the tuba musician start playing the possibility notes of ' Stand By Me , ' and literally our fans , our players , our mould put their arms around each other . I see the joy and smiles on their fount , I see every demographic and I want to bring that pleasure to everyone in the world . That ’s what drive me . "
