Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Savannah Bananas will play three games in Chicago, hosted by Firefighters; they will not be the home team.
- Players will serve drinks and food and perform dance numbers at two Dunkin locations Thursday morning to drum up excitement.
- Games are sold out; tickets were distributed via a ticket lottery, giving fans limited purchase opportunities.
- Broadcasts: Friday 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and YouTube; Saturday on YouTube and the ESPN app; Sunday 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and YouTube.
The world-famous Savannah Bananas are set to take center stage at one of America’s iconic ballparks, as they take the diamond at Wrigley Field.
The Bananas, who will make their second visit to Chicago after playing before sold-out crowds at Rate Field in the summer of 2025, will play three games at the venerable stadium, but in a twist, they won’t actually be the home team this time.
Instead, hosting duties will be handled by the Firefighters, a fellow Banana Ball team that will hope to paint the Friendly Confines red with their shows over the weekend.
Before those games get underway, the teams will be participating in a pair of events on Thursday morning to drum up excitement around the game, as well as to caffeinate baseball fans.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., players will be helping sling drinks and food, along with a dance number or two, at two Chicago Dunkin Donuts locations, with one group of players at the Dunkin at 4058 West Peterson Avenue in the Sauganash neighborhood, and another group of players at the Dunkin at 6332 North Broadway Street in Edgewater.
After that, the teams will focus on their three sold out games at Wrigley Field, which will take place on Friday night and then again on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Tickets are sold out to the games, with fans having to win a ticket lottery to have the opportunity to purchase seats at the stadium.
The Friday game, with a first pitch set for 7 p.m., will air on ESPN 2 and the team’s YouTube channel. Saturday’s game will exclusively be available on the team’s YouTube channel and the ESPN app, with Sunday’s game airing at 3 p.m. on ESPN 2 and YouTube.
The Bananas began touring to sold-out crowds around the United States in recent years after starting life as a college prospect squad in Georgia. Since then the team has pioneered the sport of “Banana Ball,” which puts a new spin on baseball with specialized rules, including a two-hour time limit, a points system that awards points based on innings won, and calling outs when fans catch foul balls.
The team that started it all is now part of a full-on Banana Ball Championship League, composed of six teams that are playing a total of 60 games apiece during the season.
More information can be found on the Bananas’ website.
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