Savannah Bananas brand of baseball helps attract younger players to the game they love

A recording artist, a social media star, a self-proclaimed heartthrob — and their boss — walked into a baseball stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

There is no forthcoming punchline, though each of those men have something in common: They’re professional baseball players.

More precisely, they’re Bananas.

When the Savannah Bananas arrived in the Triangle in July for the second half of a four-game series in North Carolina, there wasn’t a kid in sight without a yellow shirt, holding a baseball glove or a hat. That moment in particular speaks not only to the popularity of the novelty baseball act that is the Savannah Bananas, but to the continuing growth and popularity of the sport in the surrounding cities and towns.

For team owner Jesse Cole, the Bananas’ four-game tour of North Carolina was a full-circle moment nearly eight years in the making.

Cole began his professional journey in North Carolina, working in Gaston County as the team owner of the Coastal Plain League’s Gastonia Grizzlies. He left the team in 2015, when he helpd found the Bananas in Savannah, Georgia.

“To be back in North Carolina, where my professional journey started,” Cole said, his voice breaking as he processed it all. “Yeah, that’s pretty special.”

Everyone wanted to be part of the action at Durham Bulls Athletic Park during the tour’s stop there — especially the youth softball and baseball teams.

The Bananas have developed a reputation for being a happy-go-lucky, fun-and-games, circus-in-a-stadium baseball team. There’s music, TikTok dancing and other antics throughout the two hour extravaganza. The players get to show off their personalities, and be open about their struggles. That’s not common in sports.

“These are real people, real humans who have lives that are bigger than, you know, the Bananas and or the Party Animals,” Bananas president Jared Orton said. “It continues to develop this engagement with people which I don’t know if you see that as much in the other professional leagues.”

The Bananas’ Dakota McFadden, more commonly referred to as D Mac, is known for the excessive number of signatures across his jerseys. Durham was McFadden’s true hometown stop of the tour — he lives just an hour away in Rocky Mount. He played for Rock Solid Baseball, a travel team based in Rocky Mount.

“Ten years ago, I stepped on that same field in Durham playing for Rock Solid at 17 years old,” McFadden shared on social media. “Hoping that I got a chance to continue playing the game I love. That kid back then had a fire that just burned so hot, nothing could put it out, and had dreams of taking this game as far as it can go.”

It’s a sentiment the Bananas help impart on local youth teams, something that helps to reinforce a strong love of the game. There’s also the message of not giving up on a dream.

Many Bananas — and their tag-along opponents on the Party Animals — at some point felt their careers were over — usually around college. Whether it was injury, burnout or not getting drafted, almost every players thought about hanging up the spikes. Now, many of them explore other ventures — but they still play ball.

Bananas player Dalton Mauldin is a recording artist who performs before every game. Carolina native Noah Bridges makes TikTok videos with just about every boy or girl that stops him. Social media star Jackson Olson didn’t let jaw surgery the morning of a game stop him from seeing fans.

“It’s part of our culture, it’s who we are, it’s our DNA,” Cole said. “And I think the guys get more pride and joy out of creating those moments than hitting a double or hitting a home run, because you can’t always get those opportunities.”

Those opportunities in Durham turned into memories that will last a lifetime in those young players’ hearts, just like they did for McFadden.

“A lot of kids, you know, 9-, 10-, 11-year-old kids have so much pressure on them,” Bananas player Vincent Derubeis said. “And it kind of turns them off to the sport of baseball, softball. But we can put a spin on it and love them and enjoy what they’re doing. Because at the end of the day, if you’re not enjoying it, there’s no point doing it.”