This past weekend, over 120,000 fans packed the Caesars Superdome across two sold-out nights as the Savannah Bananas graced the Big Easy with their unconventional “Banana Ball.”
As the team faced off against their longtime rivals, the Party Animals, not only did the Bananas serve up an exotic take on baseball, but it marked a historic moment for New Orleans — the first baseball games played in the Superdome in over 22 years.
If that didn’t impress you, maybe the Bananas bringing out New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees batting might do the trick.
But if you had come to the game expecting traditional baseball, you were in the wrong stadium.
“Banana Ball” is a fast-paced, high-energy take on the sport, designed to never bore fans with players performing dance routines mid-inning. The team makes sure that fan enjoyment is the number one priority of the game, and the organization’s motto says it all — “ we are fans first and we entertain always.”
To make an old game their own, the Bananas decided to make some tweaks to the traditional baseball rules. For starters, in Banana Ball, you can expect to see no walks, no bunting and in a very clever, crowd-pleasing twist — if a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. This makes a game that can feel like a slow-summer pastime into a nonstop performance.
The Savannah Bananas weren’t always this quirky. Founded in 2016, the team originally competed in the Coastal Plain League, a summer collegiate league, where they found success, winning three Petit Cup Championships and sending more than 35 players to professional leagues.
By 2022, the organization made a bold decision to leave the collegiate league to focus entirely on “Banana Ball,” turning their games into year-round entertainment. Under the parent company, Fans First Entertainment, the Bananas have launched and headlined a growing league that includes six teams, including the Party Animals, the Texas Tailgators and Loco Beach Coconuts.
Much of the Bananas’ wacky identity comes from their founders, Jesse and Emily Cole. Known for their banana-yellow outfits, they have become a symbol of the team’s commitment to fueling fun, and that commitment extends beyond the actual players.
Between the innings, fans are treated to performances from their cast of Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team, the Man-Nanas, a dad-bod cheer squad and the Banana Splitz, a youth dance group.
What started as a struggling summer league team has transformed into one of the most sought-after tickets in sports entertainment.