Savannah Bananas Expand Bananaball into Multi-Team League, Eyeing Disney-Scale Entertainment

The Savannah Bananas, once a collegiate summer baseball team, have evolved their 'bananaball' spectacle into a traveling league with six professional teams. The organization now operates multiple simultaneous games across the US, including the Firefighters vs. Indianapolis Clowns in Richmond, Party Animals vs. Loco Beach Coconuts in Las Vegas, and Bananas vs. Texas Tailgaters in College Station, Texas. Founder Jesse Cole cites Walt Disney as a key influence, and the target demographic is increasingly children and families, with merchandise stalls and Gen Alpha anthems like 'Chicken Banana' and 'Steve's Lava Chicken' blaring at games. Despite critics calling it a fad, Cole aims for sustained creativity akin to Disney and Saturday Night Live. The Bananas have not yet inspired similar format innovations in other sports, though the Tri-City Chili Peppers have launched 'cosmic baseball' with UV-reactive gear. Fans like Heather Albrecht, who has visited 29 MLB ballparks, believe bananaball could overtake MLB in popularity. The average MLB crowd remains 29,386, but bananaball sold out Yankee Stadium in April 2025.