ESPN Is Expanding Its Deal With the Savannah Bananas
One year after ESPN began broadcasting Banana Ball games, the Worldwide Leader in Sports is expanding its partnership with the Savannah Bananas.
For those who don’t know, the Savannah Bananas play Banana Ball, a fast-paced, fan-first twist on traditional baseball that has surged in popularity in recent years.
Photo: SB Nation
Thanks to their flair for theatrics, eye-catching trick plays, and genuine athletic talent, the Bananas have become social media sensations. Simply put, Banana Ball fever has taken the nation by storm.
ESPN Is Expanding Its Partnership With the Bananas
After broadcasting the occasional Banana Ball game, ESPN agreed to a new television deal last year that saw 10 Savannah Bananas games broadcast across numerous platforms. This included two games on ESPN.
Photo: Disney
As a new year of Banana Ball dawns, ESPN and the Savannah Bananas are now expanding their partnership.
This year, 25 Bananas games will air across ESPN platforms.
Photo: Savannah Bananas
Additionally, the game between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals will be broadcast on June 28 on ABC.
In total, six other games will air on ESPN, nine will be broadcast on ESPN2, and all 25 will be available to watch on Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited.
An Important Step in Growing the Game
According to a report from Front Office Sports, ESPN’s broadcasts of Banana Ball averaged 502,000 viewers last season.
Photo: ESPN
While details of the new ESPN deal were not released, for Bananas owner Jesse Cole, it is a major step in broadening the sport’s appeal.
“We’ve invested $13 million in our broadcast team,” Cole told Front Office Sports. “We do it all ourselves. We’ve brought in top [production] talent from the NFL, NBA, NHL, e-sports, and we’ve got high tech equipment, so we’re definitely going all-in on the broadcast as this continues to grow globally.”
In addition to their deal with ESPN, the Savannah Bananas have become an annual presence at Disneyland. As Banana Ball continues to grow in popularity, Disney is clearly hitching its wagon to the sport.
Photo: Disney
As always, be sure to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to bring you updates on all the new content coming to Disney’s streaming platforms.
