Banana Ball Goes International, Unveils Two-Field '360' Game — SkimNews
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- Banana Ball announced its 2027 tour will span 79 stadiums across 74 cities, with international games in Monterrey and Tijuana (Mexico) and Winnipeg and Toronto (Canada), marking the league's first games outside the US.
- Jesse Cole said the league's ticket wait list reached 5 million, driving the expansion into 23 MLB stadiums, 10 football stadiums, and unique venues including the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, and Cooperstown, New York.
- Banana Ball 360, a new format played on two opposite-corner fields with teams switching between innings, will debut June 26 at Notre Dame Stadium to give every seat — including those in a stadium that holds roughly 80,000-100,000 — a close view of home plate.
- The Banana Bowl championship will be held Sept. 25 at the Tennessee Titans' New Nissan Stadium, while the season-opening Banana Ball Open returns April 15-18 at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
- Banana Ball is partnering with Disney on a documentary covering the league's rise, featuring original music by Pasek and Paul, with a world premiere set for June 12 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
- The league announced a 2028 fan cruise experience sailing to Puerto Rico, culminating in a game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan in January 2028.
Why it matters: A 5 million-person ticket wait list is forcing Banana Ball out of intimate barns and into NFL-scale venues, with the two-field 360 format engineered to keep the close-up experience intact even in a stadium that holds roughly 80,000-100,000 fans. International games in Mexico and Canada, plus a Disney documentary and a 2028 cruise, signal the league is transitioning from a quirky touring novelty into a multi-continent entertainment property.
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