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Savannah Bananas

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Savannah Bananas
Information
LeagueBanana Ball Championship League
LocationSavannah, Georgia
BallparkGrayson Stadium
Founded2016
League championships3 (2016, 2021, 2022)
Former league(s)Coastal Plain League (2016–2022)
ColorsNavy blue, green, yellow, and white
MascotSplit
OwnershipFans First Entertainment (Jesse & Emily Cole)
CoachReginald Horton, Adam Virant
ManagerTyler Gillum
Websitethesavannahbananas.com

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia.[1] The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed as a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division,[2] where they won three Petitt Cup championships (2016, 2021, and 2022).[1] However, after the growth of their alternate "Banana Ball" format, the team transitioned entirely to exhibition games against their partner touring teams, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, and the Texas Tailgaters, the newest and first non Savannah, Georgia based team, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals.[3] The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, CNN 10, and Sports Illustrated because of its sports entertainment and viral videos.[4][5]

History

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Following the departure of the South Atlantic League's Savannah Sand Gnats for Columbia, South Carolina, on September 22, 2015, the Coastal Plain League (CPL) announced Savannah as its newest team to begin play for 2016. On February 25, following a name-the-team contest, the Bananas name, logo and colors were officially revealed by the team.[6][7]

In 2016, the Bananas ended their inaugural season as the first seed in the CPL West Division, earning home-field advantage for the first two games of the playoffs. In game one, the Bananas beat the Asheboro Copperheads, 3–2, with the first walk-off in franchise history. The Bananas then defeated the Forest City Owls, 2–0, to win the CPL West Division championship and advance to the Petitt Cup Championship. Game one of the championship was played at Grayson Stadium, where the Bananas defeated the Peninsula Pilots, 8–4. The team traveled to Hampton, Virginia, where the Pilots' 4–3 win in game two forced an all-or-nothing game three. The Bananas took home the Petitt Cup after a 9–7 win in game three.[8] The Bananas were named the league's organization of the year in both 2016 and 2017.

In 2018, the team created the alternative "Banana Ball" rule set and played its first intrasquad exhibition game using the new format.[1] As the format became more popular, the team played more of its home games with Banana Ball rules, while playing away games under the standard CPL rules.[1] The owner noted that this distinction, where the Bananas were effectively two different teams playing with two different rules, confused fans who might not know what to expect when they came to a game.[3] In 2020 the Savannah Party Animals debuted as the opponent in Banana Ball games, similar to the relationship between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals. Unlike Globetrotter exhibitions, the teams are more even and the Bananas do not win all games. Following the 2022 summer league season, the Bananas announced they were folding their collegiate amateur team and only playing Banana Ball, both in Savannah and on the road as a barnstorming team.[1]

In August that year, ESPN+ released a miniseries about the team called Bananaland.[9][10] As of 2023, the team has over six million followers on TikTok, more than any MLB team.[3]

In 2023, Jocelyn Alo became the first woman to play for the Bananas, getting an at bat in one of their games. In 2024, the team announced that Alo had become the first female member of the Bananas, and signed a one-month contract.[11]

Banana Ball world tours

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"Split", mascot of the Bananas

2021

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The Bananas announced their first "world tour" called the One City World Tour, where they traveled to Mobile, Alabama, and sold out both nights in Hank Aaron Stadium, with a combined crowd of over 7,000 fans.[12]

2022

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The Bananas added six more cities across four different states to the tour, creating a 14-game "world tour" in which all games were sellouts.[13] While the majority of Banana Ball games feature the Bananas versus the rival Party Animals, the Bananas introduced a "Challenger Series" in which they play against a different opponent. The first such series was played May 5–6 against the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball and saw each team win one game.[14]

2023

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The "world tour" was expanded to over 80 games,[15] with the team implementing their new exhibition-only status. The tour was scheduled to start at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in Florida on February 17 and end seven months later at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York.[16] The tour also includes numerous challenger games against teams such as the Charleston Dirty Birds, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Florence Y'alls, The MLB Players Alumni Association, and a rematch with the Kansas City Monarchs. Additionally, the Bananas played their first international opponent, the Aussie Drop Bears, a team from Australia featuring professional and collegiate players.[17]

2024

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The "world tour" kicked off its 2024 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on February 8th and ended eight months later at LoanDepot Park in Miami, followed by a trip on a cruise ship to The Bahamas called "Bananaland at Sea".[18] The tour also included 5 other MLB ballparks: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.; Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas; Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts; Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.[19]

Attendance

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In their inaugural 2016 season, the Savannah Bananas ranked second in average attendance among 160 summer collegiate teams, as reported by Ballpark Digest.[20] They averaged 3,659 fans per game across 22 regular season home games, with 17 sellouts, totaling 80,504 fans and breaking the Coastal Plain League single-season attendance record. Including postseason games, they hosted 91,004 fans with 18 total sellouts. This also set a record for the highest average attendance in the history of Grayson Stadium.

The Bananas recorded over 500,000 total fans in attendance on their Banana Ball World Tour in 2023.[21]

Television coverage

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Banana Ball made its national television debut in 2022 through a 6 game agreement with ESPN. One game aired on ESPN2, with the remaining games on ESPN+.[22] The agreement returned in 2023 with 1 game on ESPN2 and two others on ESPN+.[23]

The Bananas significantly expanded its television coverage for the 2024 season. In April 2024, the Bananas announced that 19 games would air on Stadium and Bally Live.[24] In July 2024, the Bananas announced a 5 game agreement with ESPN. For the first time, three games will air on ESPN with two others airing on ESPN2 as part of the annual ESPN8 The Ocho event.[25][26] In August 2024, the Bananas announced an agreement with TNT Sports to exclusively air 5 games on TruTV.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Dominitz, Nathan. "Savannah Bananas fold collegiate team, focus on taking Banana Ball nationwide". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Savannah Bananas announce they will play Banana Ball year round". wtoc.com. August 24, 2022. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Palmer, Joseph (May 26, 2023). "'More than baseball': how the Savannah Bananas became the greatest show in sports". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Heupel, Shannon (March 17, 2022). "Going Bananas! Two wild nights of 'the greatest show in baseball' coming to Montgomery". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ CNN 10: Inside Taiwan’s secretive microchip factory that powers the world economy [featuring second segment about the Bananas]. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  6. ^ "Savannah Baseball Announces Team Name and Unveils Logo". Coastal Plain League. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "Savannah's new baseball team: The Bananas". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  8. ^ "Bananas Win CPL Championship". The Savannah Bananas. August 17, 2016. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Williams, Dave (August 18, 2022). "New series 'Bananaland' to debut Friday". WJCL. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Luter, Carianne (August 19, 2022). "Bananaland: Savannah Bananas get original series on ESPN+". WJXT. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  11. ^ World, Mason Young Tulsa (April 26, 2024). "Former OU softball star Jocelyn Alo becomes first woman to sign with Savannah Bananas baseball team". Tulsa World.
  12. ^ "Savannah Bananas bring their 'One City World Tour' to Mobile". WKRG News 5. March 29, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Savannah Bananas World Tour sites unveiled | Ballpark Digest". October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Savannah Bananas deliver a dance party to Legends Field". The Pitch. May 9, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "2023 Banana Ball World Tour Schedule". thesavannahbananas.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "Savannah Bananas 2023 tour: Schedule, tickets and more to know about baseball's most entertaining team". www.sportingnews.com. March 1, 2023. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Zimmer, Amy (June 9, 2023). "Savannah Bananas welcome Aussie Drop Bears in first-ever International Challenger". WJCL (TV). Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Stroh-Page, Caitlyn. "Savannah Bananas are taking 'Banana Ball' to the sea. What to know about the cruise". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  19. ^ Stroh-Page, Caitlyn. "MLB parks, a third team — and a cruise! What's coming for the 2024 Savannah Bananas World Tour". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Reichard, Kevin (August 15, 2016). "2016 Summer Collegiate Attendance by Average". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Savannah Bananas Break All the Rules to Hit the Mainstream". September 24, 2023. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "On ESPN2, ESPN+ This Friday: Premiere of 'Bananaland' Original Series, Live 'Banana Ball' Games". ESPN Pressroom. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "Más Ocho: ESPN's Biggest, Boldest Edition of "ESPN8: The Ocho" Returns with 43 Straight Hours of Seldom-Seen Sports August 3-5". ESPN Pressroom. July 27, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  24. ^ Dorsch, Eric (April 10, 2024). "Banana Ball games now available to stream on Stadium and Bally Live". WSAV. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  25. ^ Dorsch, Eric (July 4, 2024). "2 upcoming Savannah Bananas games to air on ESPN". WSAV. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  26. ^ "Ocho Years of the Ocho! ESPN8: The Ocho Returns as the Number One Destination for Seldom-Seen Sports". ESPN Pressroom. July 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  27. ^ "truTV to Exclusively Televise Five Friday Night Savannah Bananas Games, Starting Aug. 16". Warner Bros Discovery. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.

Further reading

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