Bananas for All

This article appears in the February 2026 issue of The American Prospect magazine. Read more from the issue.

You can make the case that the fastest-growing sport in America is Banana Ball. Three years ago, the Savannah Bananas quit their independent minor league and struck out on their own, barnstorming the country with a cross between a baseball game, a three-ring circus, and a flash mob. The 2023 U.S. tour drew 500,000 fans; in 2025, that number crested 2.2 million, and three million are expected this year.