Indianapolis Clowns set to return this spring
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Toni Stone of the Indianapolis Clowns meets young baseball fans in 1953. Stone was the first woman to play professional baseball. Photo: Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images
The Indianapolis Clowns are back, and they're bringing baseball history with them.
Why it matters: The Banana Ball-backed revival of one of the most storied names in American sports will introduce a new generation of fans to the trailblazing blend of baseball and entertainment that blossomed in the Circle City.
Driving the news: The Clowns, one of two expansion teams joining the Banana Ball World Tour this year, will play their first game Feb. 27 in Tallahassee, Florida.
Flashback: The Clowns made their pro debut in 1943 as a Cincinnati team and established themselves as the Harlem Globetrotters of the Negro Leagues.
- After splitting time between Ohio and Indiana, the Clowns moved to Indy in 1946.
- When baseball integration ended the Negro Leagues, the Clowns continued to perform for Indianapolis and the country via exhibition games until 1989.
What they're saying: For Clowns pitcher Nick Wilson, the opportunity to carry on the tradition of clownin' around on the diamond is no joke.
- "This was a lost part of history — and honestly a forgotten part of history — because people see the Bananas and they're like, 'I've never seen a team do entertainment on a field like this before.' But the Clowns were the original team to do this," he told Axios. "They walked so that we could run."
Zoom in: The Clowns that thrilled fans in the '40s and '50s were a cultural institution with a number of notable firsts.
- They signed baseball legend Hank Aaron to his first contract in 1951.
- The next year, they became the first team to sign a woman when they tapped Toni Stone to play second base for a departing Aaron.
- The Clowns would go on to sign Mamie "Peanut" Johnson and Connie Morgan. Along with Stone, they were the only three women to ever suit up in the history of the Negro Leagues.
What's next: The Clowns will play home games May 15 and 16 against the Party Animals at Victory Field, where the Savannah Bananas set attendance records in 2023.
- The Banana Ball tour will hit 75 stadiums across 45 states this year with the goal of surpassing the 2 million fans served in 2025.
- 2008 World Series champion Ryan Howard will serve as the Clowns' Primetime Coach, a new position added for the 2026 tour.
- Errick Fox, a member of the Bananas coaching staff since 2018, is the full-time head coach.
The bottom line: The next era of Banana Ball goes through Indianapolis.
- "Don't come in with any expectations, because if you come with the expectations they're going to be blown out of the water," Wilson said. "We're coming with something modern but still respectful of the past and the foundations that they laid. And I think that's going to be the sickest part of what we're doing."