How to Watch Savannah Bananas Play Baseball

Despite initial ridicule, the Savannah Bananas have quickly become an entertainment phenomenon. They’re known for their viral videos and cult-like following.

The team is a professional travel squad that plays an exhibition version of so-called “Banana Ball.” They usually face off against the Party Animals.

What to Expect

The Savannah Bananas are a circus-like baseball team on a mission to make baseball fun. They have received national attention from ESPN, Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated. They have also become a viral sensation on social media for their on-field hijinks and videos.

The Bananas are based in Savannah, Georgia and play their home games at Grayson Stadium. They also take their show on the road on their Banana Ball World Tour where they play rival teams in Challenger Series.

In Grayson Stadium, the atmosphere is always fun and energetic. People arrive hours before the game begins and line up to stake out seats. Paper sacks are filled with concessions as fans clamor for their favorite treats.

They also dance around before, during and after the game as players do their best Simba in the “Lion King” twirl or throw out a pie in the face. In recent years, players have even donned kilts and played on stilts!

Those types of atypical moments are what set the Bananas apart from other baseball teams, according to Jackson and Flagler College pitcher Gage Voorhees. The Bananas play in the Coastal Plain League, a 48-game summer wooden bat league made up of college players who don’t get paid.

The Bananas have won the Coastal Plain League’s Pettit Cup twice and generally have current or former players taken in the Major League Baseball draft. But their most unique feature is the way they treat their fans and how they interact with them during a game.

Gameday Atmosphere

A sports game is a great time for fans to get together, spend quality time with their friends and family, and bond over the experience. If venues can figure out how to make their gameday atmosphere fun and engaging, they're one step closer to creating an event that will be remembered by fans for years to come.

Affectionately referred to as the "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball," the Savannah Bananas have become a viral sensation that turns an empty Georgia stadium into an entertainment venue. The team, owned and operated by Jesse Cole and his wife Emily, believes that fans come first.

They've created a team that reimagines the game of baseball, and it's led to a sellout streak that extends far beyond the Coastal Plain League. As Cole tells NewsNation Prime on Sunday, he aims to inject joy into a sport that many worry has lost its way as players and fans lose interest.

The Bananas' unique rules -- including a pitch clock, automated strike zone, and an in-game penalty system for catching the ball on the fly -- have helped them achieve this, but their real prize is their fans. They're Caring, Different, Enthusiastic, Fun, Growing, and Hungry.

For a lot of people, the gameday atmosphere is what they remember most about a sports event. Think back to your last game and how it made you feel. What were the highs and lows? How did you spend the game with your friends and family?

The Dancing Players

The Savannah Bananas have a reputation for being more than just a baseball team. They are known for their viral TikTok videos and their quirky and wildly popular take on the game of baseball.

They have a slogan: "Fans First, Entertain Always." Every decision the Savannah Bananas make is filtered through that mission, from getting rid of advertisements in Grayson Stadium to offering $20 all-you-can-eat tickets.

Jesse Cole and his wife Emily started the franchise in an effort to bring interest back to Savannah in baseball. In the process, they shook up a sport that had become stagnant in their city.

To make his idea a reality, Cole went out and recruited players from local colleges. He even got the community involved in choosing a name for the new team.

After the team debuted in May 2016, the Bananas quickly sold out all their games. Their popularity has grown so much that they have a waiting list for tickets that numbers over 60,000 names.

Their unique brand of baseball combines the excitement of the sport with the entertainment value of a live show, bringing something to the field that’s difficult to find in the average ballpark. The Bananas have a cult following of people who love to share their experiences on social media.

They also have several cheer groups and dance squads to keep the excitement high during the games. The Banana Nanas, a senior cheer team; the Man-anas, a dad-bod cheerleading group; and "Dancing with the Bananas," a dance competition featuring players and members of Savannah Ballet Theatre are all part of the fan experience.

The Dancing Coaches

The Coastal Plain League team has blurred the line between baseball and entertainment, making their game an experience for all. Guests can expect to see players wearing bright yellow kilts on the field, dancing on top of their dugout shirtless and doing other antics during the game.

Aside from the regular playing schedule, the Bananas have several other promotions that take place before and after each game. They include “The World’s Slowest Race” featuring crawling toddlers, a pie-in-the-face competition and a dance competition with players and ballerinas from Savannah Ballet Theatre.

When Zach Smith was a young boy in Abilene, Texas, his dreams of playing baseball were always intertwined with dance. When he got an opportunity to play for the Savannah Bananas, he said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the past few years, his dancing has been an integral part of his Bananas experience. Now, his job as a first base coach has evolved to include teaching players how to perform acrobatic moves between pitches.

As a professional hip hop dancer, Harrison has the requisite moves to put on a show between innings. He’s also a choreographer and can teach the short routines the players perform on the field.

It’s an unconventional experience for the players, but it helps bring their motto to life. Known as “Fans First Entertain Always,” the players use these antics to get kids involved in the game and build a connection with them.

The Dancing Pep Band

The pep band is a student-led ensemble that performs at home basketball games and other athletic events on campus. The band also accompanies the men's and women's basketball teams to NCAA and post-season tournaments.

The band plays a wide variety of popular music and jazz. Members are expected to be enrolled in at least one semester and must have an interest in playing. They must also be available to travel on game days during the fall and spring semesters.

They are required to wear a Pep Band shirt and can be seen in the stands prior to the start of the game. The Pep Band consists of students from all majors and ages.

Their performance is often a high point of the game. It may include performing school songs, the national anthem or a fight song.

In addition, the Bananas dancers have a unique style of entertainment that includes players on stilts and other stunts. They are known for their wacky antics that have attracted millions of fans on social media around the world.

This style of entertainment has been dubbed the "World Famous Baseball Circus" and is affectionately referred to as “The Greatest Show in Sports.”

The Bananas have sold out every night of their seven-city 2022 tour, but they are looking to take their show farther than ever this upcoming season, bringing it to 32 cities across the country. More than 700 cities from 28 countries were nominated by fans for the tour and the Bananas have narrowed it down to the final 32.

The Dancing Fans

The Savannah Bananas take a very unconventional approach to baseball. Instead of selling ad space on the field, they put fans first and create a world-famous Banana Ball experience.

When Jesse Cole and his wife, Emily, bought the Coastal Plain League team in 2016, they knew that they would have to go a little out of their way to attract Savannah residents and tourists alike. But they were determined to do so.

Today, the Savannah Bananas are the world’s most popular minor league baseball team. They have amassed 2.8 million followers on TikTok, more than any Major League Baseball team.

They have sold out every home game at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia since the Bananas started playing in 2016. The Savannah Bananas have a waiting list for their home games of 80,000 people and each game is packed with fun and excitement.

This is the kind of fan experience that a baseball game is meant to be. This is a must-see event for everyone.

One of the most famous Bananas traditions is their "Banana Baby" ritual, in which a baby wrapped in a banana costume is raised to the sky like Simba. Each game, up to 30 babies are on a waiting list to partake in this tradition.

The Savannah Bananas also make a point to partner with community organizations at their games. Each time a nonprofit partners with the Bananas, they receive a percentage of the ticket sales from that night. This allows for more money to be donated to the organization while still creating a fun, memorable experience for fans.