They've become a viral sensation complete with dance breaks, lip synching, trick plays, and oh yeah: baseball.
The Savannah Bananas are making their Chicago debut at Rate Field Friday and Saturday.
"We've been compared to the Harlem Globetrotters but most of what they did was choreographed and the game wasn't competitive. We play real games that aren't predetermined but add in a little entertainment in the mix," said Mark Ediss, who is the public address announcer.
"I've been with the team since the beginning. We started as a somewhat regular minor league team in the independent Coastal Plain League. We always pushed the boundaries. We've never done things the normal way though, " he laughed.
The Savannah Bananas won three championships in seven years but left the league in 2022 to pursue Banana Ball year-round.
"We played normal baseball for 5 years but we broke off and created Banana Ball and that's a whole different ballgame, literally."
The team still plays 32 home games a year.
What makes Banana Ball unique?
Ediss says for one-the players, many of whom were once minor league players themselves. But he says, they aren't just athletes, they have so many unique skills.
"We have one guy who pitches and bats on stilts, which is mind-blowing. We've got a centerfielder who regularly does back flip catches bare handed. All these guys do amazing things that you wouldn't think about seeing on a baseball field. Our shortstop has a basketball background so he'll dribble the ball to himself, between his legs. I'm blown away with all the things these guys do." said Ediss.
Ediss says owner and co creator of the concept Jesse Cole knew he wanted to offer fans a new experience when they come to a ballgame.
"Baseball by nature is boring, when Jesse created Banana Ball, he wanted to take out the most boring parts and make it more exciting. So, no mound visits, it takes too much time, there's no walks in Banana Ball, and I have two favorite rules: a two hour time limit and if a fan catches a foul ball, it's an out in the game. Talk about involving the fan in the game, that's the ultimate way. Bring your glove, catch a ball and it's an out and you literally impact the game. It's a lot of fun."
Ediss says another unique aspect is the fan interaction and player accessibility.
"The goal is to be the most intimate with our fans. 81,000 people at Clemson and this weekend in Chicago, we play giant stadiums, how do we interact and how do we make the most impact with the fans who are sitting in the outfield, way in the upper deck? So we literally have the cast and players who make their way up to the crowds to interact with those fans in every way we can. Our goal is very intentional."
Ediss says social media has been a huge part of the teams and the concept's success.
"When we started sharing what we do on Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook, it just blew up. The social media thing took us to a whole new level."
Banana Ball began in 2022 and is now made up of five teams. The rest has been, well, bananas.
"You can't get a ticket. There's a 3 and a half million people wait list for our home games, selling out every single place including 81,000 seat football stadiums. It's been absolutely crazy." he laughed.
This year the Bananas played 17 major league ballparks, 3 NFL stadiums and sold out giant college stadiums.
The Banana Ball World Tour is at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday and Saturday.
The "Before the Peel" pre show starts at 3p, gates open at 430p and the game starts at 7p. Tickets are sold out but the game can be seen ESPN2.
