The Savannah Bananas have taken social media by storm here recently booming in popularity, now they are selling out college football stadiums, MLB stadiums, and more. Jesse Cole, the owner of the Savannah Bananas and the other teams in Banana Ball, has always had one statement at the forefront of all operations since the huge growth of Banana ball, "Fan's first". How does he achieve this? Players go out and spend time with fans before games and sign tons of autographs and just interact with kids. Not only that, fans are a part of the game with every pitch technically. If there is a foul ball hit into the stands and a fan catches the ball, the batter is called out. In addition, there is non-stop action throughout the game. In between innings there are interactive activities similar to what you would see at a minor league game, but it feels like they do something almost every inning. It really is a fan's first atmosphere.

The very first pitch I saw in Banana Ball the batter stole first base, which there is a rule that allows them to do so, and it caught me off guard a little bit. One interesting rule they have is "If a pitcher throws ball four, it becomes a sprint. The hitter will take off running while every defensive player on the field must touch the ball before it becomes live. The hitter can advance to as many bases as they want. The ball does not have to touch the catcher or pitcher." Another cool aspect of the game are the trick plays fielders make. Some outfielders get a ball hit to them and will hit the ball up into the air with their gloves and have another teammate catch it, another outfielder would put his arm behind his back and catch the ball, and some others would do a backflip and catch the ball. Which wasn't always successful but doing a backflip in itself is already hard enough I would say. The infielders trick plays could consist of bouncing a ball between their legs then throwing it on the run, fielding the ball in between their legs, and even the first baseman catching the ball behind his back. Another interesting thing I saw was the Texas Tailgaters band that would set up in left field and would play during the inning. In fact, during one inning Jayson Arendt, the left fielder, who was also singing had to run down a fly ball and make the catch. There is a lot going on during the game to say the least.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect going into this weekend, because I am a traditional baseball person and purist, but I enjoyed the experience more than I anticipated. I think the thing I liked the most is just seeing all the fans at a baseball game. Even though the baseball aspect of the event isn't the "main attraction" it still brought me joy seeing all these people at a game. Banana Ball could plant a seed for the kids to passionate about baseball in the future, and therefore it can bring more fans into the sport or the game itself. Another thing I loved seeing was just the joy on the young fans faces when they got an autograph or got to interact with a player. In this setting fans are allowed a more intimate interaction with the players which is something I appreciate because it can create a core memory for the young fan. Even for me it was surreal to get to see Josh Hamilton and Prince Fielder (the Bananas brought them in as guest players) back on the diamond after watching them play for the Rangers when I was growing up. Even WWE legend "The Undertaker" made an appearance Friday night when he delivered the ball in an urn to the mound in the "Final Inning".

Banana Ball may not be for everyone, and it's not, but give it a shot. You might like it more than you think.