Banana Ball Goes Prime Time: ESPN Sets 25-Game Broadcast Slate for 2026

The Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL) is just days away from a historic kickoff. The 2026 season officially begins Thursday, Feb. 26, at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The opener features the Firefighters taking on the Loco Beach Coconuts—one of two new expansion teams joining the fray this year.

The action continues Friday, Feb. 27, when the Party Animals face off against the Indianapolis Clowns. The weekend wraps up on Saturday, Feb. 28, with the Savannah Bananas taking on the Texas Tailgaters at the massive Doak Campbell Stadium.

The big news announced today is that na Ball and ESPN have officially partnered for the largest broadcast package Banana Ball history. ESPN will broadcast 25 games this year, more than doubling the 12-game slate from 2025. This expansion follows a record-breaking year where the Bananas averaged over 500,000 viewers per broadcast, including a July 5 game at Fenway Park that drew over 800,000 cable viewers.

2026 Banana Ball ESPN Broadcast Schedule

• Feb. 28: Tailgaters vs. Bananas — Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, FL) | Football Stadium
• March 14: Party Animals vs. Bananas — Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, LA) | NFL Stadium
• March 28: Clowns vs. Bananas — Angel Stadium (Anaheim, CA) | MLB Ballpark
  April & May
• April 25: Party Animals vs. Bananas — Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY) | MLB Ballpark
• May 2: Bananas vs. Tailgaters — Kyle Field (College Station, TX) | Football Stadium (ESPN2)
• May 23: Tailgaters vs. Bananas — Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, TN) | Football Stadium
• May 29: Party Animals vs. Coconuts — ESPN Wide World of Sports (Orlando, FL) | Multi-sport Complex
  June: The National Spotlight
• June 13: Bananas vs. Firefighters — Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE) | Football Stadium
• June 19: Bananas vs. Clowns — Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati, OH) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN2)
• June 20: Bananas vs. Clowns — Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati, OH) | MLB Ballpark
• June 21: Bananas vs. Clowns — Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati, OH) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN)
• June 27: Bananas vs. Party Animals — Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR) | Football Stadium (ESPN)
• June 28: Bananas vs. Party Animals — Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR) | ABC (Historic National Debut)
  July & August
• July 23: Party Animals vs. Clowns — Dunkin' Park (Hartford, CT) | MiLB Ballpark (ESPN)
• July 24-26: Bananas vs. Firefighters — Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN2)
• July 31-Aug. 1: Tailgaters vs. Party Animals — Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID) | Football Stadium (ESPN2/ESPN)
• Aug. 7-8: Bananas vs. Coconuts — Target Field (Minneapolis, MN) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN/ESPN2)
• Aug. 15: Clowns vs. Bananas — Coors Field (Denver, CO) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN)
• Aug. 21-22: Coconuts vs. Bananas — Busch Stadium (St. Louis, MO) | MLB Ballpark (ESPN2)
• Aug. 29: Bananas vs. Coconuts — Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) | NFL Stadium

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For the YouTube faithful, don't worry—the free streams aren't going anywhere. Banana Ball has reportedly invested $16 million in broadcast equipment to ensure their homegrown production remains top-tier while they expand their reach on Disney+.

This deal is exactly how you grow the game. While the purists might stick to the standard nine innings, Banana Ball isn't trying to replace the old guard; it’s just giving fans a different, high-energy way to love the sport. With 25 games hitting national airwaves, more eyes than ever will be on the "greatest show in sports."