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The Oregon Duck rode into Autzen Stadium on a motorcycle and fans sang the University of Oregon’s fight song and “Shout." But instead of a raucous game of football, the crack of a baseball bat and the pandemonium of Banana Ball followed.
The stands at Autzen Stadium were packed to the brim June 27 with eager fans, but rather than cheering on the Oregon Ducks, about 60,000 attendees showed up to support the Savannah Bananas and Party Animals.
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The teams play “Banana Ball,” a version of baseball with adjusted rules to make games shorter and more entertaining for spectators. On June 27, the second- and third-ranked teams in the Banana Ball Championship League faced off in Eugene.
Fans arrived to the game in a veritable showcase of banana-themed fashion. Countless people donned full banana costumes, hats and banana-printed clothes, including John Semar, who stood out amongst the crowd in his bright teal suit covered in banana print.
Semar was seeing the Savannah Bananas for the second time. He said he played baseball as a pitcher throughout high school and college. When he tried out trick plays in his years of playing baseball, he said his coaches would make him run as punishment. He likes that Banana Ball encourages players and fans to enjoy the game.
“You always had to run for doing this fun stuff. They’re having fun and getting rewarded for it. It’s awesome to get rewarded for having fun on the baseball field,” Semar said. “In Banana Ball, you get rewarded and everyone is having fun with it. As a traditional player who loves baseball, I love this. It’s awesome.”
Semar said members of the Savannah Bananas and Party Animals are extremely talented baseball players who can also do flips, entertain a crowd and have fun while putting on an impressive game. He said he hopes the games at Autzen are filled with “lots of trick plays, lots of smiles” and “everybody having fun.”
Kristin McCumber was also enjoying her second Banana Ball game, clad in a fuzzy viking-style hat that had bananas as horns. She said the first Banana Ball game she attended was “like a whole performance” and she looked forward to another evening of entertainment.
“It was so engaging,” she said of her first Banana Ball experience. “Have you ever seen somebody pitch over 80 miles an hour on stilts?”
Her mom, Cindi Forbes, was attending her first Banana Ball game. She said she’s seen some clips of games on social media and looked forward to experiencing the show for herself.
“I’ve seen videos of what they do and it’s incredible. They’re so talented,” Forbes said. “I can’t even imagine how fun it would be to be playing that.”
In an Instagram post, Banana Ball Creator Jesse Cole said both games in Eugene were completely sold out, with about 120,000 fans planned to attend the weekend’s games.
Banana Ball games are broadcast on ESPN, but the June 28 game will be the first time the league is televised on ABC. The league has skyrocketed in popularity since Banana Ball rules were implemented in 2020.
“This weekend, more people will watch a Banana Ball game than ever before in history as it’s broadcast nationally on ABC,” Cole said in an Instagram reel posted June 27. “Today actually marks the sixth-year anniversary of the first-ever Banana Ball game in front of fans as we played in front of just 1,000 fans at Greyson Stadium.”
The game utilized a few well-known traditions seen in Autzen Stadium when the Oregon Ducks take the field. Attendees heard Matt Kearney’s “Coming Home” over the stadium speakers, saw The Duck ride onto the field on a motorcycle and got to participate in “Shout.”
Between team dance breaks, a full horn and drumline performance, announcers interacting with fans in the crowd, a mini-game of wig snatch and umpires lip-synching to popular songs, the Banana Ball game ensued.
After the lightning-fast game was complete, the Savannah Bananas came out as the top banana of the night, beating out the Party Animals 6-3. While the Savannah Bananas won the overall game, the Party Animals had more trick plays at 12-6.
The Savannah Bananas and Party Animals face each other again at 1 p.m. June 28 at Autzen Stadium.
Hannarose McGuinness is The Register-Guard’s growth and development reporter. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Banana Ball brings the party, takes over Autzen Stadium