Welcome to From the ‘Court’ to Content, my newest bi-weekly column, where I aim to spotlight certain athletes or teams that have prominent social media platforms and how they affect said teams/players.
Since the days of COVID, social media usage has skyrocketed like never before, and ever since then, the use of apps like TikTok has continued to grow exponentially.
But how are social media and sports related to each other?
Well, this brings us to our first spotlight on FTCTC: The Savannah Bananas.
The Savannah Bananas are a professional exhibition baseball team that travels around the country playing in different stadiums against other baseball teams in a league that they call ‘Banana Ball.’
While the Bananas are the main team, there are three other teams in the Banana Ball League: The Party Animals (the Bananas’ main rival), The Firefighters (the Bananas’ secondary rival), and The Texas Tailgaters (Banana Ball’s newest team).
While the players for each of these teams all possess MLB-like talent, this league is the home of a new type of baseball.
Originally founded in 2015, the team’s owners, Jesse and Emily Cole, simply had one goal in mind—to make baseball more fun.
Things might’ve started slowly at first (they barely sold tickets and sold their house to compensate), but eventually, after officially becoming the Bananas, things took off.
Instead of using plain, regular rules, the Bananas do pretty much everything they can to spice up the game, in a good way.
The players already stand out by wearing bright yellow uniforms and sometimes kilts, but there is a plethora of in-game entertainment that adds to the fun experience. Each game has a 3-2-2, which is a choreographed musical number performed by the players. Walk-ups and cellys often are choreographed numbers, too, and the team has cheerleaders (the Banana Nanas) and a dancing umpire.
On top of all that, the Bananas have their own league rules, too. Some of the best ones include scoring each inning (winning the inning is 1 point), a 2-hour time limit, stealing first base, a fan-caught ball being an out, no bunting/walks, and finally, the golden batter.
Bananaball is also well known for its trick plays and trick catches, which can be seen throughout their games. Many players have perfected one such trick, the backflip catch, which has gone viral on TikTok.
Finally, the most important part about Bananaball is its fan-first atmosphere. Everything is designed/planned to accommodate the guests to allow them to have as much fun as possible while attending a game.
Now that you know as much as I could possibly share about the Savannah Bananas, what do they have to do with social media?
Well, the Savannah Bananas are the best athletics page on both Instagram and TikTok, hands down. They post their walk-ups, cellys, 3-2-2s, and so many more videos/skits. It is very common to see certain celebs collab with the Bananas for content that not only boosts their ratings but also brings more fans into their world.
Even though they started to become popular in 2016, their fandom really took off in the tail end of 2023 into 2024, and now 2025. Why, you may ask? Because they figured out their marketing approach: learning how to connect with their audience.
Most fans discovered them on TikTok and have continued to share their support because of what they see during the games and online.
Everything they post/promote is for TikTok, which is why Bananaball is experiencing massive growth/success right now.
Currently, the Savannah Bananas are touring in MLB stadiums around the country to allow fans to see them play.
I’m not by any means saying these crowds are small; these stadiums are sold out every night, tickets are very hard to come by, and even a few stops on tour are either in NCAA/NFL stadiums.
As you can tell, social media has had a very big impact on the continued success of the Savannah Bananas. Not only do all of the players themselves use their platforms to promote the league, but the team page itself is at the forefront of new entertainment.
Banana Ball has completely capitalized on the new prominence of social media among younger generations, and it has turned the team into a huge success. I look forward to seeing where the league develops over the next few years. The next time the Bananas are in town, I’ll be sure to have a ticket.
However, their success leaves me with one question: What other teams/athletes could social media affect?
Stay tuned for the next issue of FTCTC on 9/24!
