'Banana Ball' coming to San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Dubbed the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, the Savannah Bananas make their Petco Park debut next Friday, Sept. 5.
“We have a common mission and it’s the fans first,” said Savannah Bananas Head Coach Adam Virant. “It’s putting on the greatest show in sports for the fans.”
Virant explained that being a good baseball player and being able to connect to the fans are important.
"Break down the wall between player and fan. You need to be able to create unforgettable moments no matter what,” he said. “At the end of the day, these fans don’t remember the score, they don’t really care about the score. They care about how they were made to feel.”
Spawning in October 2015, Jessie and Emily Cole invested their entire life savings in the simple idea - make baseball more fast-paced, entertaining and fun.
“It’s really a festival-like atmosphere,” Virant added. “Our plaza opens five hours before the game starts. It has music, entertainment, food, merchandise and a really good gathering place for fans to get there early. Players sign autographs; it’s more than an event, it’s an experience.”
The result, more than 3.6 million people are waitlisted to attend a game, selling out MLB and NFL stadiums during their 2025 world tour.
The Savannah Bananas make their two-night San Diego debut to a sold-out crowd starting on Friday, Sept. 5.
