Banana Ball

[WEDWDW]

Good to see I am not the only one who doesn't "get it".

Again I find it mildly entertaining but the Beatlemania level fever by so many escapes me.

Will be interesting to see if it has staying power.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I don't really find them funny, and I love baseball. I guess it's too slapstick for me; I never did like that sort of humor. My sister loves them, though. She went to last night's sold-out game at Citizens Bank Park. She had to enter a ticket lottery for the seats.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Doesn't give the same warm fuzzy feeling as a 7 Dawrfs line starts here...

 

[kanne323]

Never heard of it either. Perhaps there are fans who enjoy the novelty but wonder how long that will last? Part of the appeal is likely the free/low cost to watch unlike many other pro sports that lose fans over time with their excessive prices.

I haven't heard of free tickets for Banana Ball- anyone have info on that? They do have a lottery you have to enter in order to get a chance to buy tickets. But the tickets themselves are fairly inexpensive, absolutely, especially compared to MLB.

I did attend a game recently and it was a blast! We went to one of the games at Fenway. I'm not a huge baseball fan, so this was much more tolerable for me than a regular game. There's a firm 2-hour limit and they stuck to that. The baseball itself was fun, and so was all of the extra stuff. It was like being at the best sing-a-long- they continuously play snippets of songs the whole two hours and the entire crowd is singing. New music, oldies, etc. (everything BUT Sweet Caroline), and had players and the Dad Bod cheerleaders leading dances. They had some cute competitions in between innings (including a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party; I'm assuming they plan some of their antics based on where they are) and brought out several well-known former Red Sox players to play, including Johnny Damon and Bill Lee. It was two hours of solid fun- we had a great time. I would definitely go again.

The normal ballpark prices for concessions still applied, but we ate elsewhere beforehand and then stopped at a brewery, so we weren't planning to buy any food or drink, and we were allowed to bring water in (not sure if that's always the case with Banana Ball or an exception because of the heat that day; by the end of the game, they were also handing out free bottled water.)

 

[tvguy]

I haven't heard of free tickets for Banana Ball- anyone have info on that? They do have a lottery you have to enter in order to get a chance to buy tickets. But the tickets themselves are fairly inexpensive, absolutely, especially compared to MLB.

The tickets aren't free. But they broadcast all their games, live, for free on YouTube. That is different in an era when many sports entertainment programing is moving to extra cost channels or pay per view.

 

[Everettldez]

Honestly, I kinda feel the same way. It’s entertaining in small doses, but I don’t get the full hype either. Feels more like a circus than baseball sometimes—but hey, people love it

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Our consensus yesterday (11 year olds and me) was that it was fun to do once but we don't see it being a repeat experience. It was cute, it's a nice day out, but I don't think they'll be selling out stadiums year over year. The hype will wear off and it'll be a fun novelty, but it won't require signing up for a lottery to get tickets.

 

[focusondisney]

They came to our city last year & we were lucky to get tickets from a relative. Prior to going, I tried to watch a game on TV. It was pretty boring & I didn’t get the hype. Then we went. The actual game was a blast! The whole atmosphere was so much fun. There was so much going on all over & in between, the game was sort of an afterthought. Kids are a big focus of the Bananas. Many players spent a lot of time in the stands before the game, signing autographs & interacting with fans. Kids were brought onto the field for different things. The game does move along quickly & a lot of fun happens before the game.

It is open seating, so getting there early is important if you want premium seats. All the antics & fan interaction before the game makes it worth the time. A little disappointing they didn’t come to our city this year. My husband thought it was a 1 & done. Other family members & I really enjoyed it & would go again. No interest in watching on tv tho.

Also.. they partner with a local charity for every game so do give back. It’s not just about millionaires making more money. Which is a big plus to me.

 

[Chime]

I agree that it's not as entertaining to watch them on tv as it is to see them live. We tried and turned it off after a few minutes.

But I took my son last year (at a minor league park) and we had a blast. Pretty sure I had more fun than my son did. The game moved along quickly, and they do a great job keeping the energy level of the crowd up the entire time. There are constantly players or cheerleaders or mascots out in the stands. And all the players were outside after the game signing autographs and posing for photos.

They're playing large stadiums this year and I'm not sure if I would enjoy that as much. There really wasn't a bad seat in the house with the smaller venue. You felt close to the action no matter where you were sitting. The lines were short if you wanted to meet the players after the game. I can't picture it having the same charm with 40-60k people in attendance.

 

[BrianL]

I can see it being fun, but a little goes a long way for me. I don't think I'd actually go to a game, but watching the ocassional clip online is good.

 

[kanne323]

It is open seating, so getting there early is important if you want premium seats. All the antics & fan interaction before the game makes it worth the time. A little disappointing they didn’t come to our city this year. My husband thought it was a 1 & done. Other family members & I really enjoyed it & would go again. No interest in watching on tv tho.

It's not open seating everywhere. We had specific ticketed seats a few weeks ago.

 

[focusondisney]

It's not open seating everywhere. We had specific ticketed seats a few weeks ago.

Good to know. I went last year, it was a minor league field, seating over 16,000. Wonder if the venue decides?

 

[Skippy918]

My friend went to this and I had no idea what it was. I don’t watch baseball.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

A friend of ours went to one of their games and absolutely loved it. The tickets were definitely not cheap.

Somebody said that you can see the games on Disney+ I may have to check one out on TV (I am sure the experience is not the same). However, "live" baseball is kind of stressful for me... in my experience it is being so hot, sweating to death, and worrying about getting hit with a ball.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Does anybody else not "get" the phenomenon that it has become?

I find it OK to watch for a few minutes,but then I am ready to move on.

It just doesn't do it for me on a large scale.

Obviously,I am in the vast minority as this thing is selling out MLB Stadiums.

I have tried to "make" myself understand the euphoria-just can't get there.

A backflip catch and a pitcher on stilts and twerking umpire are fun,but WOW,the level BB has reached just amazes me.

But more power to them-they have created an obsession for,dare I say,millions!

I am with you. Not my cup of tea but then apparently appeals to some

 

[AppleDumpling]

Looks like a lot of fun. I’m a baseball fan (who’s been to many MLB games) and would be interested in seeing the Bananas if I could get tickets, A friend of mine went to a game at Fenway Park and loved it. I do think it’s likely to be a fad, that will wane in popularity after a few years. But major props to the team’s owner, Jesse Cole, who invested his own money, vision, and talent to create a unique family entertainment experience.

 

[WEDWDW]

Looks like a lot of fun. I’m a baseball fan (who’s been to many MLB games) and would be interested in seeing the Bananas if I could get tickets, A friend of mine went to a game at Fenway Park and loved it. I do think it’s likely to be a fad, that will wane in popularity after a few years. But major props to the team’s owner, Jesse Cole, who invested his own money, vision, and talent to create a unique family entertainment experience.

I bet when Mr. Cole gets by himself sometimes he has to just laugh that he is on his way to becoming a Billionaire with this "product"!

I am sure in his private moments he just can't believe this many people have gone BANANAS over what he has created.

Tip of the hat to him!