Savannah Bananas will be joined by 5 barnstorming teams in 2026 as Banana Ball continues to grow

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Banana Ball continues to grow.

The Savannah Bananas remain the nameplate for the barnstorming style of rollicking entertainment, but on Thursday night founder Jessie Cole announced more growth for his brand of baseball hijinks.

Cole said the Savannah Bananas will be joined by five teams in a new league in 2026 that has scheduled appearances in 75 stadiums in 45 states. Cole said Banana Ball drew 2.2 million fans this year and he hopes that number grows to 3.3 million in 2026.

Cole said Banana Ball will be played in 14 major league parks and 10 football stadiums, including two NFL sites — the Superdome in New Orleans and Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The new Banana Ball Championship League will include visits to such college football venues as Tennessee's Neyland Stadium and Texas A&M's Kyle Field.

“To see the response from fans all across the country, I don’t think anyone could have imagined this,” Cole told The Associated Press on Thursday, adding he only sold “a handful of tickets” when the Savannah Bananas were founded in 2016.

In 2023, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, opened an exhibit for the Savannah Bananas. The exhibit was recognition of Cole's success attracting younger fans with shenanigans such as a player on stilts and outs being counted when a fan catches a foul ball in the stands.

Two new teams will be added in 2026 — the beach-themed Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns, a tribute to the original barnstorming team that inspired Cole.

The new league is adding new “Primetime Coach” positions which will be manned by two former major league players on the new teams — Shane Victorino on Loco Beach and Ryan Howard on Indianapolis.

“Getting the opportunity to coach a Banana Ball team that’s paying tribute to the Negro Leagues? That’s an honor, straight up,” Howard said in a statement released by the league. "The names that came before us — Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell — those legends paved the way. They played the game with style, with soul, with swagger.

“Banana Ball is all about energy, entertainment, flipping the script, and you know what? That’s exactly what the Negro Leagues brought to the game from day one.”

The other teams in the league are the Party Animals, Fire Fighters and Texas Tailgaters.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB