The Savannah Bananas made their Chicago debut, combining baseball with entertainment to sold-out crowds and a 3.6 million waitlist.

Regular baseball is boring,” said a fan who arrived early at Rate Field to get players' autographs. The wildly popular Banana Ball exhibition league made its Chicago debut this weekend.

There’s a hot ticket next weekend at PNC Park. Nope, it isn’t Bob Nutting bobblehead night. Nor is it Beyoncé to make up for the canceled August 2023 show. It’s not the Pirates (who are in the basement of the NL Central).

Could the uber-popular independent baseball team, the Savannah Bananas, be sold to MLB one day? Co-owner and team ringleader Jesse

Jul 23, 2025, 6:05 PM ET The Seventh Annual Roofing Process Conference, the hottest ticket around, just got even hotter with the addition of Savannah Bananas CEO Jesse Cole as the keynote speaker

About Jesse Cole & the Savannah Bananas Jesse Cole is the visionary founder and CEO of the Savannah Bananas, a sports entertainment phenomenon that has redefined fan engagement in baseball.

Jackson Olson found his way on to the Savannah Bananas and is enjoying the ride. He's got a lot in store in a Bananas uniform and beyond.

When the Savannah Bananas brought their one-of-a-kind Banana Ball to Chicago for two sold-out nights, owner Jesse Cole couldn’t help but think about one man. Bill Veeck. Veeck, the Hall of Fame baseball maverick who twice owned the Chicago White Sox,