The Savannah Bananas turned Oregon’s Autzen Stadium into the center of a national Banana Ball moment on Sunday, June 28, and the numbers were hard to miss. The Bananas’ game against The Party Animals drew 1.2 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched Banana Ball game ever and topping the previous mark set at Fenway Park.
That record came as the Bananas played two sold-out games in Eugene, giving Oregon football’s home stadium a spotlight far beyond the usual fall calendar. Jesse Cole, the creator of Banana Ball, celebrated the milestone on X and pointed to how quickly the audience has grown.
"New Banana Ball viewership record on ABC! It’s 45% bigger than our previous record on ESPN at Fenway Park in 2025.
The 1.2 million does not include YouTube viewership and Disney+ viewership. From averaging 500,000 viewers to last year to passing a million this year.
Beyond grateful for all the support! Thank you Banana Nation!
We’re just getting started!"
Banana Ball has built its following by leaning all the way into the chaos. The game moves fast, runs on a two-hour time limit, bans bunting and can end with a tie-breaker in which a pitcher and fielder go head-to-head against a single batter. Fans are part of the action, too, since catching a foul ball can count as an out.
In Eugene, the Bananas brought plenty of Oregon flavor into the show. The Party Animals and Oregon Ducks Cheerleaders performed AC/DC’s "Thunderstruck," and the Bananas also wore green and yellow instead of their usual bright yellow look. Cole, known as "Yellow Tux Jesse," changed his usual game-day style as well, wearing a yellow Oregon "Stomp Out Cancer" jersey and KD 16 Oregon PE sneakers.
The jersey he wore was Oregon’s "Heroes" uniform from 2024, the one designed with personal touches from Lanning and his family, including his wife, Sauphia, who completed treatment for bone cancer in 2017.
Another familiar Oregon tradition made the trip to the Banana Ball stage when the Bananas danced to "Shout," the Autzen Stadium singalong that Ducks fans know well from the third-to-fourth-quarter break.
After the two games, the Bananas thanked Eugene directly.
"Our first time in Oregon is one we'll remember forever," the Savannah Bananas posted on social media.
"Two sold out shows at Autzen Stadium led to two of the most electric crowds Banana Ball has ever seen (and heard). We did a lot of Shouting, had an insane performance from professional dancer Blake McGrath, and even had former big leaguer Jed Lowrie hit an RBI.
We loved going green for the weekend with all 120,000 of you. Eugene, we love yah."
That 120,000 figure was the combined attendance across the two games.
The stop in Eugene also fit into a bigger 2025 run for the Bananas, who played in 40 cities and appeared in three NFL stadiums and 17 MLB stadiums. Their first NFL stadium game came at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., where they played before 65,000 fans, and on April 26 they drew 81,000 at Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium against the Party Animals.
Now Autzen Stadium is part of that list, and Oregon’s brand got a national showcase while the Ducks were in the middle of the offseason.
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