Exhibition baseball team the Savannah Bananas has continued its expansion with the announcement it will debut at NFL and college football stadia next year, along with more than trebling the number of MLB ballparks it will visit.
The Bananas have unveiled the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour, with the addition of the Texas Tailgaters also making it four teams under the umbrella of the organisation based in Savannah, Georgia. With the mission statement of reshaping the traditional baseball fan experience, the Bananas have exploded in popularity in recent years.
The 2024 World Tour has seen the Bananas make their MLB ballpark debut as they visited five of the league’s venues. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros), Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox), Nationals Park (Washington Nationals), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies) and LoanDepot Park (Miami Marlins) will all return in 2025.
The Bananas’ expanded 2025 schedule will now also take in: Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees), Oriole Park (Baltimore Orioles), T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners), Petco Park (San Diego Padres), PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates), Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago White Sox), Coors Field (Colorado Rockies), Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds), Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals), Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals), Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels), Truist Park (Atlanta Braves) and Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays).
The 18 MLB ballparks will be joined by two NFL venues in the shape of Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans) and Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers). Further adding to the football stadium mix will be Memorial Stadium, home to Clemson University in South Carolina.
Bananas owner Jesse Cole said sellouts are expected at each of these venues. “We played in front of one million fans this past year,” Cole told ESPN. “We’re playing in front of two million fans next year. Maybe that sounds boastful, but our waitlist is at three million right now.”
However, the Bananas are also remaining committed to the designated home venue – Grayson Stadium in Savannah. Indeed, Savannah City Council’s approval last week of renovations to Grayson Stadium will result in the “best Banana Ball experience we have ever delivered in Savannah”, Cole claims.
Upgrades will include an all-turf field, a new video board and enhanced lighting. “I think one of the misconceptions from the community is that we are leaving Savannah now,” Cole told the Savannah Morning News. “No. We are as committed more than ever now, and we hope our actions are showing that.”
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