Going Bananas Cross Country

The Savannah Bananas is going to split — from the Coastal Plain League that is — to focus full attention on their professional barnstorming team.

The Georgia team, which got its start in 2016 playing in a collegiate summer league, spent three months last summer barnstorming the country in a series of exhibition games, playing their irreverent form of the all-American sport.

If you’ve never seen them play, and even if you don’t know much about baseball, you likely would suspect that they aren’t playing by the rules — at least not major (or even minor) league rules. They dance, strut and even run into the stands to give fans high-fives. While the MLB does not have cheerleaders, the Bananas have the Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team and the Man-Nanas, known as the Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad.

At a time when major league baseball is struggling, the team has provided it with a big boost by luring in crowds. The barnstorming Bananas plan to play in 25 cities this year. But they will not give up their namesake entirely. Co-owners Jesse and Emily Cole have said they will also play more than 30 games at Grayson Stadium in Savannah.

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