Banana Ball gets 'biggest partnership to date' with ESPN and Disney, including a trip to Disneyland

Already well-known for selling retired stadiums for baseball-themed spectacles that see choreographed dances, inventive instrumentality plays and outlandish instrumentality interaction, the Savannah Bananas person cemented their synergy with ESPN and Disney+ with a 25-game bundle successful 2026.

Included successful the woody volition beryllium a “Banana Ball Day” astatine Disneyland and a crippled astatine Angel Stadium connected March 26. Every crippled volition watercourse connected the ESPN app and Disney+, with prime games airing crossed ESPN networks and ABC.

The first-ever Bananas broadcast connected ABC volition instrumentality spot successful beforehand of 54,000 astatine Autzen Stadium successful Eugene, Ore., location of the Oregon Ducks assemblage shot powerhouse. The Bananas volition play the Party Animals June 27-28, and the games person been sold retired since October.

The Bananas popularity is undeniable. The squad played successful 40 cities successful 2025, including 3 NFL stadiums and 17 Major League Baseball stadiums. They sold retired 65,000 seats astatine the Tampa Bay Buccanners’ stadium and successful April played successful beforehand of 81,000 astatine Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

The caller statement much than doubles past year’s 12-game offering. ESPN and Disney are earthy partners, gathering connected a collaboration that began with the ESPN+ Original bid “Bananaland” successful 2022.

“This expanded statement reflects the unthinkable maturation and instrumentality request surrounding Banana Ball,” Brent Colborne, Vice President of ESPN Programming Content & Strategy, said successful a statement. “From iconic shot stadiums to classical ballparks, these events showcase the vigor and creativity fans love, delivered with the afloat scope and flexibility of ESPN, Disney+, and ABC.”

Another “Banana Ball Day” volition instrumentality spot astatine Disney World connected May 29 including a crippled astatine the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. And successful July the Bananas volition plaything by ESPN office successful Bristol, Conn., earlier a crippled astatine Dunkin’ Park successful adjacent Hartford.

“We are fired up to beryllium teaming up with ESPN with our biggest concern to date,” Bananas proprietor Jesse Cole said. “Banana Ball has grown massively connected the level implicit the past fewer years. Now, arsenic we motorboat the Banana Ball Championship League with six teams and sold retired shows each implicit the country, we couldn’t ideate a amended concern to turn the game.”

As the Bananas’ popularity has exploded, salaries person increased. Last twelvemonth players made $20,000 to $37,000 implicit a 65-game season. This twelvemonth the mean wage is $100,000, according to Front Office Sports.

Banana Ball officially became a league successful 2025, with the Party Animals, Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters joining the fun. Two much teams were formed this year: The Loco Beach Coconuts, coached by erstwhile MLB subordinate Shane Victorino, and the Indianapolis Clowns, who accidental they grant the bequest of the 1940s Negro League squad of that name.

According to Forbes, the Savannah Bananas enactment is valued astatine astir $500 million, astir fractional of the nett worthy of low-rung MLB franchises. ⁣The six-team BBCL volition bring successful an estimated $100 cardinal successful gross this year, mostly successful merchandising and summons sales.

The caller woody with ESPN and Disney+ should lone summation that number. Disneyland’s Main Street surely should beryllium lined with fans March 26 erstwhile — arsenic described connected the Disneyland web tract — “the Savannah Bananas shimmy, shingle and strut their mode done an unforgettable cavalcade!”