We are not your typical baseball team. We are different. We take chances. We toe the line. We test the rules. We challenge the way things are “supposed” to be.
OUR GAME AND PLAYERS
- We play Banana Ball– the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball.
- Our players perform choreographed dances every game – Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Mariah Carey – You name it, they’ve danced to it.
- Every game we have a 3-2-2, which stands for 3rd inning, second batter, second pitch. These are unique in-game pre-pitch dances that have combined together for over 300 million views on TikTok.
- We are the only baseball team to play in kilts. That’s right, kilts.
- Our players perform in over-the-top music videos like Old Town Road, Can’t Stop the Peeling, and I Don’t Dance.
- Our hitters walk-ups are legendary. Bananas may be escorted to the plate by the Banana Pep Band, walk down the yellow carpet wearing the finest Dolce and Banana, or they may even introduce themselves.
- We are known for our epic scoring celebrations. From running through the crowd to performing fully choreographed country line dances. When we score, you never know what will happen next.
- We have the World’s Tallest Hitter and Pitcher with Dakota “Stilts” Albritton who stands 10 feet tall.
OUR CAST AND CHARACTERS
- Our owner, Jesse Cole, wears a yellow tuxedo. Not just sometimes, but all the time.
- We have the Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team; the Man-Nana’s, our Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad; and the Banana Splitz, a youth dance team.
- We have the World’s only Dancing Umpire in Vincent Chapman who will bust out the floss, robot or twerk it out on strike out calls.
- We have the World’s only Breakdancing Coach in Maceo Harrison who may do the moonwalk or the Single Ladies dance before giving a sign to the hitter.
- Every game we honor the Banana Baby. Cue the Lion King opening music and the players kneeling around the baby being lifted in a banana costume.
- We play in Historic Grayson Stadium, affectionately referred to as Bananaland.
- When you come to Bananaland, your experience is All-Inclusive. Our concessions in Savannah are All-You-Can-Eat hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, water, soda, popcorn and cookies.
- We gave the stadium back to the fans. Historic Grayson Stadium is the first ever Ad-Free ballpark.
- We serve our own Savannah Banana Beer, Banana Split Cream Soda, and specialty alcoholic drink, the Slippery Banana, in Bananaland.
- While you are visiting, be a part of Bananaland forever by signing our Fan Wall in right field to leave your very own lasting mark.
We first arrived in Savannah in October of 2015 with a goal to make baseball fun and bring back fans to Historic Grayson Stadium.
For the first time, minor league baseball had left the city, after calling Savannah home for 90 years. Now because of this, we realized that getting fans excited for a college summer team was harder than we could have ever imagined.
In our first few months, we only sold a handful of tickets. By January of 2016, just months before our first game, the team had over-drafted our account. Owners, Jesse and Emily Cole were forced to sell their home to keep the team going.
Then everything changed on February 25, 2016, when we named the team the Savannah Bananas.
This announcement created massive attention locally and nationally, being covered by CBS, NBC, and Sports Illustrated, even being featured as SportsCenters’s Logo of the Year.
But the name was not liked or appreciated by most people in Savannah. We heard comments like whoever came up with the team should be fired. The owner should be thrown out of town. “You’ll never sell a ticket”. We even did a mean tweet video a year later to share some of the “love” we received.
But even with mixed reviews we were finally on the map and people knew who we were.
With all the attention, we were able to sell out Opening Night. Our fans were met with a completely unique experience featuring all-inclusive food, our senior citizen dance team, the first Banana Baby, and dancing players.
Since the first season, we’ve sold out every single game – over 200 and counting
The Bananas were part of the Coastal Plain League, a summer collegiate league, for seven seasons.
The team won three Petitt Cup Championships while part of the CPL and had over 35 players drafted across the seven years of play.
In 2022, the Bananas announced that they were leaving the Coastal Plain League to play Banana Ball year-round. Banana Ball was born out of the idea of making baseball more fast-paced, entertaining, and FUN.
The Bananas now field two independent professional teams – The Savannah Bananas and The Party Animals. Both teams are made up of players who are recruited and paid for their play.
Current and former MLB stars such as Jonny Gomes, Bill Lee, and local Savannahian, Josh Reddick, have all played with the Bananas professional team.
You can find out more about the Bananas teams here.
“Bananas Foster is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to Bringing Families Together. Our organization is committed to helping the whole foster care community. Advocating for everyone involved, Bananas Foster celebrates those already making a difference while inviting others to get involved so we can all help make this world a better place.” – Emily Cole
