It's no secret that I love baseball. Whether it's the Texas Rangers, the College World Series, or a pick-up game of kids in the neighborhood, baseball is all-American magic. Since 1846, when the first official game was played in Hoboken, N.J., baseball has been on par with the Declaration of Independence, popsicles, and blue jeans in defining our great country. Over the last 10 years, though, Savannah, Ga., couple Jesse and Emily Cole have made baseball even more American with the invention of Banana Ball.
But first, what exactly is Banana Ball? Imagine baseball and the circus had a baby that was naturally gifted in musical theater. This game is baseball with a sense of humor. "You've got to think differently," says owner Jesse Cole, "whatever is normal, do the exact opposite."
"Everything we do is about fans," states Cole. Starting with the experience in the upper deck and working down to the field, the Banana Ball concept is proving itself in the free market. That "ceiling can't hold us" walk-up clip is from 2024 at Nats Ballpark in Washington — when was the last time you saw a sold-out baseball game in mid-July (that wasn't the All-Star Game)? The Savannah Bananas have 4.2 million people on their ticket waitlist because they have, in fact, curated an experience for the fans who are now showing up en masse.
Not only do people show up to watch the game, but they actually have two very important roles to play. First, if a fan catches a foul ball (clean catch, no bounce or bobble), then it is an out. Second, if the audience wants to challenge a call by the umpiring crew, it can. Before each game, a spectator is selected and given a "Fans Challenge" sign to hold up in the event that the crowd disagrees. They only have one chance to use the call, but, like the teams themselves, if the call is overturned, they retain the right to another challenge. The result? The fans are invested in the game, from start to finish.
Speaking of start to finish, Banana Ball has a strict two-hour time limit. The only time the clock stops is when there is an injury. The MLB has tried for years to speed up the game of baseball, and the best they've come up with is a pitching clock, limiting mound visits, and eliminating four-pitch intentional walks. In Banana Ball, the teams play as many innings as they can within two hours and still have time for kick lines, a player on stilts, and trick plays.
Let's pause to address the baseball purists. I understand your confusion and maybe even a little of your offense. Perhaps you think the antics are disrespectful to the tradition and purity of something wholly American. Maybe you feel like these guys are making a mockery of giants like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Nolan Ryan.
Is it possible that maybe — and it's a big maybe — you are overlooking how very American Banana Ball is? Two hundred and fifty years ago, folks thought the colonists were insane for bending the norms so far that they founded an entirely new form of government! No, I'm not putting you in the same box as King George III and the loyalists, but I am defending you in the whole "this is so different it's uncomfortable" position.
Perhaps this will help: Former pros Eric Sogard, Dee Strange-Gordon, and Curtis Granderson have embraced Banana Ball. In a spotlight with MLB.com, 2015 World Series champion pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said: "It's really enjoyable for us who've played previously to come back. To play the game in such a unique and fan-first way is really refreshing."
Former professional players feeling like kids experiencing the game when it's fun, instead of when it's about records, contracts, sponsorships, talking heads, and cut-throat competition, is not normal, but Banana Ball isn't normal baseball—it's an infusion of freedom right into the veins. We tell our kids that, in America, you can grow up to be anything, that it doesn't matter where you come from or who your parents are. Jesse and Emily Cole went from selling their house and moving into an office inside the ballpark to a billion-dollar industry in 10 years with Banana Ball.
It's this free market mentality with a focus on the fans, specifically the youth, that makes Banana Ball truly special because it's not competing with the MLB; it's competing against AI, screens, and wildly short attention spans. I haven't talked to Cole, but I don't think he or his wife are aiming to overthrow the pros, but just to provide another source of family-friendly entertainment.
On a deeper level, Banana Ball gives me hope as a mom of young kids. I have been hesitant to put my 8-year-old son in sports because things have gotten so competitive that it's hard to be fun. I was the kid picking the grass on the field, hanging on until I got orange slices and a juice box. I'd be excoriated in today's youth sports environment because everyone else is vying for applications for club teams and invitations to summer training programs. I look around and see my mom friends spending nights and weekends at practices, games, and tournaments, and for what? Not one of them has ever looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh, my gosh, Ashley, it's so fun!"
Personally, I don't want to spend the free time I don't have small-talking with parents who think their 9-year-old has a "real shot" at a D1 college scholarship. Moreover, I don't want to spend an hour driving home consoling my son who struck out and now thinks he's somehow unworthy. Several Banana Ball players played in college and then went on to do other things — one was on Broadway! — because they didn't go pro, and then came back to baseball when it was fun again. Jesse Cole has given me an avenue as a parent to tell my kids that sports are supposed to be fun.
Celebrating America's 250th birthday is a perfect opportunity to highlight Banana Ball. You can catch three Independence Day games on YouTube:
- Firefighters v. Bananas
- Party Animals v. Tailgaters
- Clowns v. Coconuts
For the complete schedule and where to watch each game, click here.
Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at PJ Media, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT for the country and freedoms we hold so dear.
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