Latest news with #Bananaland
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From TikTok To Primetime: Savannah Bananas Get Major ESPN Spotlight
Instagram | Savannah Bananas The Savannah Bananas are stepping up to the big leagues, or at least the big screen. Founded by Jesse Cole in 2016, the Savannah Bananas aren't just a baseball team; they're a full-blown show, and have gained traction on social media almost instantly thanks to their unique baseball style. Savannah Bananas Go Big! ESPN and Disney announced they'll broadcast and stream 10 of the Bananas' wildly entertaining games this summer, marking the most extensive media partnership yet for the team that's redefined what a baseball game can be. Advertisement Two games will air on ESPN, eight on ESPN2, and all 10 will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+. 'Where Walt Disney sat at a bench in Griffith Park with his two daughters on the carousel and said, 'I wish there was a place where adults and kids could have fun together,' I had a similar mindset when I was sitting and coaching in the Cape Cod League,' Cole told Front Office Sports. 'I remembered how much fun it was playing, but it wasn't as fun watching.' That inspiration led to 'Banana Ball,' a fan-first, fast-paced take on the sport that includes two-hour time limits, no bunting, and even the ability to steal first base. Walks, mound visits, and stepping out of the batter's box? All banned. Savannah Bananas Went From Air Mattresses To ESPN What you get instead is a mix of competitive play, choreography, music, and crowd-hyping antics that feel more like a rock concert than a nine-inning game. Advertisement 'You could never imagine this,' Cole said. 'When we first came to Savannah, we sold a handful of tickets. My wife and I had to sell our house, empty out our savings account. We were sleeping on an air bed.' Savannah Bananas Sell Over 2 Million Tickets, And The Waitlist Is Even Wilder Now? The Bananas have sold over two million tickets for their summer tour and have a waitlist topping three million. This season's stops include a sold-out show at Clemson's football stadium with over 80,000 fans on April 26, and two nights at the Panthers' stadium in Charlotte with over 150,000 attendees combined. 'To have sold-out crowds on TV or on our streaming platforms just shows general interest,' said Brent Colborne, ESPN's VP of programming and content strategy, told Front Office Sports. 'When the crowd is completely crazy in the seventh inning and they truly care because it's like a rock concert and baseball game at the same time, you're gonna want to watch.' With 9.5M TikTok Fans And ESPN On Board, Savannah Bananas Are Baseball's New Empire This isn't ESPN's first rodeo with the Bananas. Advertisement The network previously produced the "Bananaland" docuseries and aired select games. But this summer marks a deeper collaboration, and one ESPN hopes will continue to attract younger and more diverse viewers. 'It's truly innovative what they're doing. We look at ESPN and Disney as innovative companies, and we want to be alongside for the ride on that,' Colborne added. Cole, who compares his approach to Disney's early TV days, understands the power of content and community. The Bananas exploded on social media thanks to their viral 'Can't Stop the Peeling' music video and now boast 9.5 million TikTok followers. Even their rival team, the Party Animals, has racked up 2.6 million fans. Advertisement 'As soon as we saw TikTok start, we knew it was perfect for us,' Cole said. 'The music, the dancing, the skits, the promos, all of that.' Savannah Bananas Promise 1,500 New Moments This Season The experience also changes nightly, thanks to hours of weekly rehearsals. 'People don't realize, every single show is completely different,' Cole shared. 'We do 10-15 things every night that we've never done before in a live crowd. So in a given season, we're doing 1,500 brand new things that are remarkable or marketable or unique or memorable.' With ESPN and Disney now on board, the Savannah Bananas are poised to turn America's pastime into America's next must-see streaming obsession.
New York Times
15-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
ESPN to broadcast 10 Savannah Bananas games this summer on heels of MLB opt out
The Savannah Bananas are officially mainstream. Along with taking their showmanship on a 'Banana Ball World Tour' this summer, the exhibition baseball team will have 10 of its games broadcast on ESPN and Disney platforms, the company announced Monday. That slate will include games at Fenway Park, Camden Yards and the Clemson Tigers' Memorial Stadium. Advertisement The summer tour will kick off on April 26 at Memorial Stadium, the first of three games played in football stadiums — the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium and the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium being the others. The games will air on Friday and Saturday nights on ESPN and ESPN2 and will be simulcast live on Disney+ and ESPN+, according to a news release. 'The Savannah Bananas have mastered the art of blending baseball with entertainment, creating an experience that resonates with fans of all ages, regardless of their baseball knowledge,' Brent Colborne, ESPN Vice President of Programming & Content Strategy, said in the release. 'Their unique approach embodies two of ESPN's key goals: reaching new audiences and inspiring the next generation of youth athletes.' ESPN and the Bananas previously partnered on a 'Bananaland' docuseries, and the network has broadcast a handful of standalone games in the past, including a July 7, 2024 game in Buffalo which averaged 460,000 viewers. The Bananas news comes less than two months after ESPN announced that it would conclude its coverage of MLB games after the 2025 season. The network, which has broadcast the league since 1990, opted out of a seven-year contract that averaged $550 million per year. 'Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport's appeal or performance on their platform,' MLB said in a February statement. '… ESPN's demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.' In the league's counter withdrawal, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred called ESPN a 'shrinking platform' in a memo to team owners. Last week, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported that MLB has held discussions about licensing its game package to networks and/or digital platforms. NBC, Google, YouTube and Fox are among those who have shown some level of interest in ESPN's package, according to sources briefed on the talks. Advertisement The Bananas are one of the greatest sports start-up success stories of the 21st century. In less than a decade, the Bananas have turned into the ultimate example of how a maniacal focus on fan-friendliness can generate intense interest and loyalty. Sell-outs are the norm, and every challenge of larger venues — 80,000 will fill Clemson's football stadium on April 26 — is easily hurdled. (Bookmark Sept. 13-14, when the Bananas go to Yankee Stadium.) To be sure: It is an 'apples and oranges' — or, more accurately, 'apples and bananas' — to try to compare Major League Baseball with the Savannah Bananas. But at a moment when ESPN is divesting from MLB, it is at least notable that the network will enthusiastically deliver valuable airtime to Bananaball. Even if ESPN isn't giving the Savannah Bananas a dime to broadcast their games, it is great summertime content for ESPN. Bananas games are intentionally constructed to finish in two hours, which makes them ideal for TV. And there is enough visual stimulation and peripatetic action to keep fans engaged. — Dan Shanoff, sports business managing editor
