Savannah Bananas baseball: How Banana Ball is changing US sport

Mar 6, 2025 - 04:01

Banana Ball, headed up by the Savannah Bananas, has changed the way fans consume sport in the United States. Is the model of the biggest sports team you've never heard of an example for the rest of us?

Banana Ball, headed up by the Savannah Bananas, has changed the way fans consume sport in the United States. Is the model of the biggest sports team you’ve never heard of an example for the rest of us?

Very few things in sport are completely original these days; organisations, entrepreneurs and billionaires often take inspiration from what is already on the market to turn their seed of an idea into something way beyond imagination.

But while many look to other sports, Emily and Jesse Cole instead got their creative juices flowing by watching the likes of US satirical TV institution Saturday Night Live and global stage success Cirque du Soleil.

And while the late-night live sketch show last month celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the acrobatics phenomenon turns 40 in May, the Coles’ brainchild, Banana Ball, is this year approaching a decade.

You’ve heard of Major League Baseball and the Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees; but how about Banana Ball, the Savannah Bananas and Party Animals?