You couldn’t have missed them on your social media: The Savannah Bananas. All in yellow, they dance, perform choreographies, have incredible and indescribable celebrations, use gadgets, pitch in kilts…
Baseball is turned upside down when the Savannah Bananas come to town. The Georgia team, which normally plays in a summer college league, has spent the last six months touring the country for a series of exhibition games, testing a radical new version of the sport.
« Banana Ball » is played at a breakneck pace. There are no timeouts, no mound visits, and a two-hour time limit. If someone in the stands catches a foul ball, the batter is out. And the innings? The otherwise ordinary game continues until all fielders, even outfielders, touch the ball.
The first-base coach dances, and the team celebrates home runs by rushing into the stands for a kiss. When the Bananas are on the field, they might break into a brief choreography between pitches, spinning and sliding in cleats, then resume play as if nothing happened.
Owner Jesse Cole serves as the master of ceremonies, strolling around in a yellow tuxedo and top hat, leading chants – Woah, livin’ on a prayer – and judging kids’ races between innings. Lying and frenetic, Cole is part P.T. Barnum, part Walt Disney, with a touch of « Saturday Night Live ».
At first glance, his team resembles another Harlem Globetrotters, but the competition is real, and something potentially significant is at work.
Yet, in a sport that clings so desperately to tradition, purists will grumble. Is this really baseball? Is it bad for the game?
No one could have seen what Cole had in mind to create this show. The logo – a cartoon banana with a baseball bat, lips twisted into a grimace. Bright yellow uniforms and a costumed mascot named « Split ». A team of elderly cheerleaders called the « Banana Nanas ».
On the field, the team performs a complex warm-up – imagine the Globetrotters’ passing circle with gloves – then gathers at home plate. At each game, a « baby banana » is recruited from the stands, dressed in a costume and held aloft like Simba in « The Lion King ».
Major League Baseball has seen its attendance and television ratings steadily decline due to concerns about the slow pace of the game. Changes, including the introduction of a pitch clock and automated strike zone, could be considered.
The Bananas are ahead of the game, filling ballparks in the South and Midwest, transforming into a national brand with highlights on ESPN and 2.5 million followers on TikTok. MLB executives say they’re keeping an eye on any ideas that could make their game more « fan-friendly ».
It was no secret that the sport was lagging in a world where everything moves fast and young fans didn’t want to sit through games that lasted more than three hours.
« We looked at every boring play, » he says. « And we got rid of them. »
Breland Almadova, a Savannah Bananas batter, lies on the ground during an at-bat as a pitch sails by during a game against the Kansas City Monarchs (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times).
They modified innings and foul balls and decided not to start a new inning after 1 hour and 50 minutes. Batters are given a strike if they step out of the box but have the option to steal first base on any pitch that gets past the catcher.
« Banana Ball » is scored like a golf match: The team that scores the most runs in an inning gets a point for that inning, with the win going to the team with the most points at the end of the game. For extra innings, the defense has a pitcher, a catcher, and a fielder. If the batter puts the ball in play, they must chase it and throw it to home plate before the runner crosses.
« Something special is happening in Savannah. They’re celebrating baseball in a unique way, and fans are embracing it. »
Wouldn’t this be the way to go in France, the land of circus, to attempt such an adventure?
Any volunteers?
