Banana Ball, a fast-paced form of baseball with an emphasis on fun, officially began its 2026 season in February with three games in Tallahassee, Florida. Fans packed the stands for all three games, showing just how popular Banana Ball has become in the short time since it was created.

The history of Banana Ball dates to 2015, with the formation of a team of college baseball players. The team had two main goals. One was to bring baseball back to Savannah, Georgia, a city that had recently lost its minor league team. The other was to put more fun into baseball, which is traditionally a slow-paced game with many pauses. 

At first, there wasn’t much interest in this new team. But once the players named themselves the Savannah Bananas and people heard about their unusual approach to baseball, things heated up. The first Bananas game in 2016 was completely sold out. That day, the fans were treated to more than just baseball. The baseball players performed choreographed (planned) dances. So did a troop of senior-citizen dancers called the Banana Nanas. 

Eventually, Bananas owner Jesse Cole developed a form of baseball for his team called “Banana Ball.” Banana Ball is similar to traditional baseball, but some of the rules have been changed to make the game more entertaining for the fans. For example, no game can be longer than two hours. Whichever team gets the most runs during an inning “wins the inning” and gets a point. And if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out. Players still dance, and there’s plenty of other on-field entertainment throughout each game.

Today, six Banana Ball teams make up the Banana Ball Championship League. Those Tallahassee games took place on the first stop of a U.S. tour. Between now and October, the league is scheduled to play in nearly every state. If you’re in the United States but can’t catch the fun in person, some of the games will be broadcast on ESPN or shown on YouTube.

The slideshow below has more great Banana Ball photos!