Savannah Bananas sell out Kannapolis with iconic Banana Ball game

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — It’s one of the hardest tickets to get. For two nights, the Savannah Bananas are playing their iconic “Banana Ball” in front of sold-out crowds at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis.

The Bananas are often called the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. Games are nonstop entertainment that start with a parade and feature dancing, singing, trick pitches, giant bats, stilts, and more. After the game, there’s a “plaza party.”

This is not your typical baseball game. Banana Ball involves the whole crowd. If a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out. A dedicated fan can challenge plays during each game. There are no walks, bunting, or mound visits. The goal is to win the inning. The team that wins the most innings, wins the game.

Two players and the owner have Charlotte-area ties.

Owner Jesse Cole is a Belmont resident and the former owner of the Gastonia Grizzlies.

“When I first started in Gastonia there was $268 in my bank account,” he said. “There were only 200 fans coming to the games and I couldn’t pay myself for the first three months.”

Cole says he enjoys playing in small stadiums, such as Atrium Health Ballpark, because of the atmosphere. But next year, the Bananas will be taking their show to the big leagues. Cole says several MLB teams have expressed interest in holding events. No matter where they play, Cole says the focus will remain on the fans.

“At the end of the night, we sleep very well because that’s who we are. That’s what we are about and we are going to entertain every last minute,” he said.

The Savannah Bananas roster includes Charlotte-native Eric Jones Jr. He says it is a blessing to play for the team.

“If you come to one of these games, you just have an experience you can’t have anywhere else,” he said. “You have more fun than you are going to have at any other sporting event. You have more fun than you are going to have at any other concert. And it really is combining the best of all of these worlds. You are getting a play, a concert and a baseball game.”

Charlotte-native Reece Hampton is on the Party Animals, the traveling opponent of the Savannah Bananas. He played for the Bananas last year. He says Banana Ball has inspired a new love of the game for him.

“It brought the fun out and shined the light on how cool the game is and how it can bring people together,” he said.

The Bananas play one more game in Kannapolis on Wednesday night. They play in Durham this weekend.

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