Go Bananas! Wildest show in baseball comes to Texas

By BRANDY CRUZ | Photos courtesy of BANANA BALL and NAVASOTA ISD

The roar inside the stadium isn’t just a cheer, it’s a full-blown celebration.

A player in the outfield does a backflip while catching the ball, another player sprints into the stands to hand a ball to an excited kid, and somewhere behind home plate, an umpire breaks into a dance as the crowd roars with excitement.

This isn’t your ordinary baseball game — it’s Banana Ball.

If baseball is America’s pastime, Banana Ball is its wildest party. The high-energy, fan-first phenomenon created by entrepreneur Jesse Cole is returning to the Lone Star State, bringing its high-energy twist to the game.

Cole, known for his bright yellow tuxedos and even brighter ideas, has built Banana Ball on a simple philosophy: make baseball fun again.

“Fans first. Always,” he’s said across interviews and social media, a mantra that has helped transform a summer collegiate team into a national sensation with millions of followers and sold-out stadium tours.

And this isn’t your average nine innings.

There are no bunts. No stepping out of the batter’s box. Games are timed, not dragged out. Players dance, flip, and sometimes even deliver trick plays that feel more like a Harlem Globetrotters routine than traditional baseball. But for all the choreography and showmanship, the actual baseball games are not scripted. These are high-level athletes competing in a real game with real outcomes. The only difference is the delivery. Banana Ball doesn’t replace competition, it enhances the game. It’s fast, unpredictable, and extremely entertaining.

“You have to push the envelope every night and do things that people have never seen before on a baseball field. That’s what makes us different,” Cole shared with ESPN.

That sense of controlled chaos is exactly what Cole and the Savannah Bananas have created, turning a simple idea into a viral movement: make baseball fun again — no exceptions.

Founded in 2016, the Savannah Bananas began as a member of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate-level summer league for college players looking to sharpen their skills.

Like many teams in the league, the Bananas were built around developing talent, but Cole wanted more. He didn’t just want to give people a baseball game. He wanted to give them a show. As Cole has relayed many times, they only had two attendees in the first three months. But Cole and his wife, Emily, had a dream they weren’t going to give up on. Instead of quitting after going broke, the couple decided to sell their home and put all the money toward their dream.

Cole’s dream certainly became a reality, as more than 2.2 million fans attended Banana Ball games in 2025, and more than 3.2 million fans are expected to attend a game in 2026, while another 2 million fans sit on the official waiting list. As Banana Ball grows in popularity, it has expanded to six teams. In 2026, they added the Loco Beach Coconuts and Indianapolis Clowns to the lineup, joining the Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters and Tailgaters, bringing Banana Ball’s signature chaos, charisma and choreographed antics to the masses, including several games across the Lone Star State.

While Banana Ball wasn’t quite an overnight success, word has spread over the last few years and now they are selling out stadiums nationwide. Not just baseball stadiums either. They’re selling out the largest football stadiums in the country.

“It’s pretty special to think 81,000 (fans) was wild last year at Clemson, but now to do over 100,000 at Kyle Field at Texas A&M and over 100,000 at Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee is pretty crazy,” he added. “I surround myself with people who believe the impossible. We believed that if we just created a show that was special … once people saw it, once people felt it, that they would tell everyone.”

Since Banana Ball is all about “fans first,” they really proved it by hosting a surprise pop-up game right here in Texas. Before drawing a record-setting crowd at Texas A&M University, the Bananas stunned fans by announcing a pop-up game at Navasota High School with only 1,000 fans.

“Getting to see all of the faces, young and … not as young, with the biggest smiles and having the time of their lives was such an amazing experience,” Dr. Stu Musick, superintendent of schools for Navasota ISD, shared, adding the event has been almost a year in the making, with many departments working together to pull of the surprise of the year for the school. “Thank you to the Savannah Bananas and thank you to our community for showing up and making it a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget!”

Taking to social media, Cole and the Bananas shared the news of the free pop-up game, revealing they only had space for 1,000 fans to watch the game, so it was first come, first serve. For founder Cole and the Banana Ball brand, the size of the stage mattered far less than the experience and the ability to make the fans feel included, whether it was one of the largest ballparks in the U.S. or a small Texas ball field.

Coming up, the Texas Tailgaters will face the Coconuts in San Antonio on June 26-27. The Tailgaters will take on the Clowns in Midland on July 2-4. They will face off again in Sugar Land on Aug. 28-29. Then, the Tailgaters will take on the Savannah Bananas at Globe Life Field on Sept. 25-27.

For Jared Schrom, senior vice president of REV Entertainment, who oversees all non-Rangers events at Globe Life Field, the unpredictability of Banana Ball is exactly why it’s such a crowd-pleaser.

“The rules are different. The pace is faster. It’s a fresh and unique way to enjoy the game of baseball,” he said. “Add in the fan engagement and participation element, where the audience can influence the outcome of the game, and it’s easy to understand why Banana Ball has become so popular with fans of all ages.”

That “fresh and unique” experience includes everything from dancing umpires to players interacting directly with fans mid-game. It’s part sport, part spectacle, and entirely designed for the TikTok generation — without losing the heart of the game.

“Globe Life Field has been fortunate to host many incredible events since we opened the doors just over six years ago,” Schrom added. “We are excited to work with the Savannah Bananas and the Texas Tailgaters to deliver another world-class event to our fans and community.”

For Central Texans and beyond, the Bananas’ stops in Texas offer a rare chance to experience the viral sensation up close — no scrolling required, but only if you manage to score a ticket through the official Banana Ball lottery. Yes, the games are so incredibly popular that they have a lottery to figure out who will have the opportunity to purchase tickets. But if you are one of the lucky ones, tickets to the game are not going to cost you an arm and a leg. Keeping to Cole’s promise of “Fans first,” Banana Ball tickets range between $35 to $60, with no extra fees. Beginning this year, you also have the opportunity to purchase official resale tickets from people who cannot attend at https://gobananas.fansfirsttickets.com. There are no price markups and no extra fees. It’s fans helping fans, the Banana Ball way.

So whether you’re a die-hard baseball fan or someone who’s never made it past the seventh-inning stretch, one thing is certain — you’ve never seen baseball like this!