Savannah Bananas will play at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte
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The Savannah Bananas will bring Banana Ball to Charlotte during their 2025 World Tour.
Why it matters: It's the first time baseball will be played at Bank of America Stadium, which is one of two NFL stadiums to host the wacky dancing baseball team.
- Along with 18 MLB ballparks, the Bananas will play in three football stadiums total: Bank of America Stadium, the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium in Nashville and Clemson's Memorial Stadium in South Carolina.
State of play: The 40-city tour, which includes Savannah, will stop in Charlotte on June 7. The Bananas face the Party Animals. Game time is TBD.
- The Bananas have played in North Carolina before, but this will be their first time playing in Charlotte.
- The Bananas are working with Teppers Sports & Entertainment, which owns/operates Bank of America Stadium, as well as the Charlotte Sports Foundation, on their stop in Charlotte.
What to expect: Owner Jesse Cole, the man in the yellow tux, is a staple of the Banana Ball experience — think of him like a ringmaster at a circus.
- The pace is faster than a normal baseball game and you could compare the entertainment-meets-sport style to the Harlem Globetrotters — but the Bananas' games aren't scripted, Cole tells Axios.
- Every game includes players performing choreographed dances to different artists. They also have a pitcher on stilts. Imagine trying to hit a baseball while standing 10 feet tall.
- There's an in-game pre-pitch dance, known as a 3-2-2, during the third inning, second batter and second pitch.
What's next: Fans need to sign up for the Banana Ball Ticket Lottery once the World Tour City Draft ends Thursday night for a chance to buy tickets. The lottery closes Nov. 1.
- A drawing will occur roughly two months before the event. If you're selected, you'll have a chance to buy tickets.
- "Everywhere they play, it's a hard ticket to get," Charlotte Sports Foundation executive director Danny Morrison tells Axios.
What they're saying: "We have huge demand in Charlotte. I mean, we have over 200,000 people in North Carolina that have been on our waitlist to watch our Banana Ball games," Cole tells Axios.
Zoom out: It's a homecoming of sorts for Cole, who has ties to the Carolinas. He worked his way up to owner of the Gastonia Grizzlies, a summer league team that moved to Spartanburg, S.C. under different ownership, and attended Wofford College in Spartanburg.
What we're watching: TSE is working through the logistics of transforming Bank of America Stadium into a ballpark, Caroline Wright, Tepper Sports & Entertainment's chief venues officer, tells Axios.
- The stadium already hosts concerts and is home to Charlotte FC (MLS) and the Carolina Panthers (NFL). When asked if they'd consider hosting other sporting events, Wright says, "anything is possible."