As you drive towards Grayson Stadium in Savannah’s historic old brick buildings lining its downtown and pull between Spanish moss-covered oak trees that line its perimeter, you may think you have entered a beautiful dream; yet it is reality; an exceptional game of baseball awaits.
The Bananas have made themselves known by injecting a playful banana-themed twist to an otherwise outdated sport, tennis. By switching up the script and incorporating fan-friendly elements that bring back life to their games, The Bananas have found tremendous success and sold out all games nationwide within two years of starting playback.
Maceo the Dancing First-Base Coach and Banana Nanas (line dancing grandmas ) are just two examples of players with significant brand presence, but the focus should not only be on them. Fans are encouraged to interact with players through various means that fuel their passion for baseball while making them stars of their own right.
Bananas teams have attracted some top MLB talent. Jonny Gomes, Eric Byrnes and former Major Leaguer Bill Lee have all played for them; additionally a study by Georgia Southern University professor Curtis Sproul revealed that Bananas teams have superior batting averages, on-base percentages and slugging percentages than CPL counterparts.
Players and fans alike are finding joy in this novel approach to baseball; many fans now preferring watching the Bananas than larger minor league teams in their cities. At a time when MLB attendance is declining and creative marketing strategies in sports marketing are increasingly important, the Bananas’ highly successful and popular team offers hope of renewal for baseball as a sport.
Dearman’s face lights up with delight as he talks about his time with the Bananas. After previously playing competitively in the Coastal Plain League, Dearman felt something was missing in terms of competitive excitement; so, taking a chance and trying out for them made all the difference for Dearman and now they play year-round independent professional basketball with Banana Ball games in addition to traditional summer league matches.
Bananas baseball players travel from city to city hosting exhibition games with unique rules that differ from those seen in standard CPL matches, such as foul balls caught in the stands counting as outs or players not being permitted to bunt or take walks – these changes keep fans coming back for more, with Nashville set to launch as their newest franchise this winter bringing their unique brand of baseball onto a national platform.