The Savannah Bananas – Savannah’s Own Minor League Baseball Team
As soon as you walk into Savannah’s Grayson Stadium with its old brick buildings and Spanish moss-covered oak trees, it’s hard not to think you have entered into a baseball-inspired dream world. After all, a lively group of performers, musicians, dancers and mascots welcome you into Bananaland – home of Bananaland Baseball, the world’s only minor league baseball team that stands apart.
The Bananas’ highly entertaining brand of baseball has gained worldwide acclaim, being featured on MSNBC and CNN, drawing fans from around the globe to each game in 2,000 banana suits, and going viral via social media posts. Players don kilts while throwing beer bottles or hiring breakdancing first base coaches or selling Dolce & Banana underwear; something is always happening with this team!
The success of the Bananas can be seen as testament to both perseverance and love for baseball. Owner Scott Cole was once an MLB pitcher but after an injury at Wofford College was forced into business alongside his brother instead. Cole didn’t let that deter him; instead, he purchased Sand Gnats as a means to test out his concept for Banana Ball – an innovative travel team designed to play traditional CPL baseball while offering various entertainment events throughout each game.
In addition to their banjo-playing mascot, Cole has hired an entertainment team – including breakdancing first base coach — that keeps energy high between innings. When players aren’t hitting home runs or doling out roses they can often be found roaming between innings tossing tees into the stands between half innings while leading the crowd in singing songs on top of their dugouts.
At the Bananas, each player’s personality and skill level are both valued equally. A storage room off of the clubhouse was converted into a prop closet filled with items ranging from toilet seats to wigs in order to give an authentic appearance for Cole’s team. Although he does have a full marketing and content team to assist him with ideas, Cole himself is usually responsible for most of the fun!
This has created a ballpark experience that would put any MLB team to shame. The Bananas have given baseball its true sporting purity with hold-onto-your-hat flair, encouraging their fans to revel in each and every pitch! Speaking with several Bananas players during my interview with The Guardian, all appeared genuinely content to be there and delighted that their work made people smile; no wonder their chemistry resonates so widely around the globe!