Forget the Cubs and Sox, Chicago’s gone bananas with a Savannah Bananas takeover

If you haven’t yet been introduced to the latest craze in sports and entertainment, allow me to peel back the curtain: it’s called Banana Ball. Imagine baseball had a love child with the Harlem Globetrotters, raised it on TikTok, fed it a steady diet of energy drinks, and sent it out into the world in yellow uniforms. That’s the Savannah Bananas. 

When they came through Chicago Aug. 15-16, they packed Rate Field with two sold-out games as part of their world tour. Fans were treated to special appearances by Mark Buehrle pitching to AJ Pierzynski, Paul Konerko taking an “at-bat” for the Bananas, and Ozzie Guillen making a cameo as a base coach and doing his dance thing. Oh, and, because why not, there was an outfield concert by Chance the Rapper before the top of the seventh inning. 

Cameos aside, the Bananas’ roster proves you don’t need to be a legend to steal the spotlight. This isn’t your standard lineup; it’s part ballclub, part variety show, and entirely unforgettable. 

These players aren’t just athletes. Some are recruited for their baseball skills, but many earn a spot thanks to their larger-than-life personalities, TikTok presence, or ability to entertain. Players become Banana Ballers through traditional and non-traditional ways. It is about blending baseball skills with dancing, some circus tricks, and lots of viral social media material. Personality is part of the uniform. Oh, and of course, the ability to actually play the game.

The rules are … well, Bananas

Technically, Banana Ball has rules. They are less “by the book” and more “scribbled on a cocktail napkin at 2 a.m..” They break all the traditional rules of baseball and then invent new ones to break those, too.

In Banana Ball, a walk doesn’t mean a leisurely trot to first; it means the defense suddenly breaks into a giant game of hot potato, flinging the ball around like it’s radioactive because every defensive player has to touch the “dead” ball. At the same time, the runner sprints around the bases like he is Usain Bolt trying to outrun when the ball becomes live again.

A batter might wear a motorcycle helmet instead of a traditional baseball batting helmet, while fielders may wear cowboy, straw, beach, or fishing hats.Sometimes, a giant banana-head mask makes an appearance.

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Ordinary baseball games have downtime between innings or during a pitching change, and it’s typically a nap zone. But for the Bananas, downtimeis hijacked with skits, stunts, or a choreographed dance number that looks like a wedding reception after someone spiked the punch.

And it’s not just the players. They have a whole cast of characters. Umpires don’t just call balls and strikes, they dance them. Ushers, coaches, bat boys, everybody gets in on the spectacle.

For the girls, Princess Potassia reigns supreme as the team’s Cinderella in a banana-yellow ball gown. Then they have their very own spirit squad. Enter the Man-Nanas,whom the Bananas have nicknamed the “Greatest Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad.” Picture a pack of dads at a summer cookout, only instead of manning the grill, they’re circling up with dance moves and pom-poms, shirts optional.

Baseball purists may want to clutch their pearls, but the rest of us? We’re laughing too hard to care.

Here’s the thing: Underneath the costumes, dancing, occasional bologna-eating contest, pool noodle sword fight, or a baby crawling contest (yes, all of this happened), there’s a surprisingly solid message. The Bananas aren’t just clowning around. They’re reminding us that the best ideas ripen when you toss the rulebook in the compost. Jon Cohn, a fellow Chicago Star writer, stated it perfectly when he said, “They show that doing things differently, even drastically, can work.” The takeaway? Don’t take yourself too seriously, don’t get stuck in tradition, and for heaven’s sake, quit playing small ball. Dream without boundaries. Some ideas flop, some fly, and the best ones end up as viral videos and sold-out ballparks. Worst case? You look silly. Best case? You change the game.

From the moment a man in a yellow tux strode onto the field, I knew this wasn’t going to be baseball as usual. This wacky little team from Savannah isn’t just reinventing baseball; they are a reminder that life, like Banana Ball, is meant to be big, loud, and a little bananas. And if you ever get the chance to see the Bananas in person, definitely catch them before they split. It’s a ripe opportunity that should not be missed. Trust me, the a-peal of this bunch is better than my banana wordplay. I promise.