Think Baseball Is Boring? The Savannah Bananas Are Here to Fix That.

About this episode

<p>Jesse and Emily Cole created the Savannah Bananas with a simple mission in mind: to make baseball as entertaining as possible. They introduced some innovations to America’s pastime, including twerking umpires, stilt-walking pitchers and TikTok-ready choreographed dance numbers. They tinkered with the rules of baseball, making a game that was shorter and faster, with plenty of opportunities for fan engagement. The result? A sports sensation. In the 10 years since its founding, the team has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the world, reaching tens of millions of fans online, with a waiting list of millions of others hoping to see a game in person.</p> <p>For many, the Bananas are the ultimate sports success story, one that shows a path forward for teams and leagues concerned about fan retention in an era of shortened attention spans and endless entertainment options. But others take a less rosy view of the Bananas and their hyper-energetic brand of baseball, seeing them as an existential threat to a game that fans have loved for more than a hundred years.</p> <p>On today’s show, our host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter who covers culture news, about the Bananas phenomenon, and then heads to a Banana Ball game to see things for herself.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>On Today's Episode</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-abrams" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Jonathan Abrams</strong></a><strong> </strong>is a reporter for The New York Times covering national culture news.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Background Reading</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/arts/savannnah-bananas-derek-klena-broadway.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Broadway Star Is the Savannah Bananas’ Phantom of the Bullpen</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6579676/2025/08/28/mlb-savannah-bananas-fans-coexistence-competition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As Savannah Bananas pursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB?</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>