Why The Savannah Bananas Are The Most Fun Team In Sports

How a homegrown baseball team became the "greatest show in sports."

One, two, three strikes, and the Savannah Bananas are out for the inning. Rushing back to the dugout, one yellow-clad player springs into a backflip, landing effortlessly on his feet, and accepts a pat on the back from his 10-foot-tall teammate (elevated by a pair of stilts). This isn’t a typical baseball game.

Played in Savannah's Grayson Stadium, Banana Ball is everything you know about the sport turned on its head. Among the highlights are a two-hour time limit, a ban on bunting, and a whole lot of shenanigans. “Baseball purists hate these games because they are totally different,” notes Savanah Alaniz, who manages the Bananas’ ever-growing online fan base.

Meet The Bananas

The team, a combination of recently graduated college athletes and former Minor and Major League Baseball (MLB) players, walk on stilts, dance, and balance bats on their noses. They are often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters, but unlike the basketball stars (who are practically guaranteed to win), here, the stunts end where the real match begins. Spectacles abound, but so does a good, fair competition. (Even John Cena got in on the action.)

Unfortunately, today the Bananas find themselves down by a run in the 2nd inning against their frequent rivals, the Party Animals. The crowd, an enthusiastic sea of yellow, is far from defeated thanks to the Banana Nanas (an ensemble of line dancing women, all 65 years and older, with routines set to the latest radio hits) and the Man-Nanas (a hilarious group who rile up attendees with “dad bod cheerleading” and free T-shirts).

Becoming Local Legends

Between home plate and first base, 82-year-old superfan Wally Murphy watches from his favorite seat in the house. Perched in that same spot, he has been to nearly every home game since 2016 when the team was part of a summer league for college athletes. “The owners and staff work hard to live up to their ‘fans first’ motto,” he says. In addition to nonstop entertainment, concessions are included with the ticket price in this ad-free ballpark.

The Rules Of Banana Ball

To earn a point, a team must win the inning.

Bunting is outlawed.

No walks; players must sprint!

The game ends after two hours or nine innings, whichever comes first.

In downtown Savannah, Banana flags hang in the souvenir stores alongside Tybee Island keychains. Bolstered by social media fame, the team now tours throughout the country, selling out everywhere they go. Soon, they hope to bring their fast-paced and playful take on the sport to major league stadiums—and then showcase it worldwide. “Down the road, I see us creating a Banana Ball league where we have multiple teams and cities all doing what we are doing for their own communities,” says Eric Byrnes, former Bananas head coach and MLB player. No matter how far the team goes, they won’t forget their Savannah roots: Their uniforms are decorated with locals’ signatures.

Putting Fans Come First

Kids also have time to shine on multiple occasions, from the Banana Baby, who is given a Lion King-style introduction to the crowd while wearing a banana costume, to the young fan who gets to take a ceremonial bite of the fruit and declare whether it’s good or rotten—considered an omen for the outcome of the game. For the first time ever, the chosen happy-go-lucky little girl proclaims the fruit rotten. Uh-oh, bad news for the Bananas.

Her prediction almost comes true, but with just three minutes left on the clock, they close the 9th inning on top with a heroic outfield catch. The team’s victory lap begins with a leapfrog chain on the pitcher’s mound and continues off the field to the front of the stadium, with fans hot on their trail. A dance party ensues, and the evening ends with a song: Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” with the players and spectators wrapped arm in arm.

Get In On The Action

Tickets sell out fast and become available two months before each game. To purchase, sign up for the Ticket Lottery List.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.