Savannah Bananas Fan Saw Chicago Embrace Banana Ball in One Year

When the Savannah Bananas first arrived in Chicago in 2025, fans came to see what all the excitement was about.

One year later, they came ready to become part of it.

That is the biggest difference Ami Tack noticed after attending Banana Ball games at both Rate Field in 2025 and Wrigley Field in 2026.

“It’s amazing how much changed in just one year,” said Tack, a 50-year-old lifelong Chicago sports fan who now lives in Elkhart, Indiana, about 2½ hours from Wrigley Field.

To her, the difference wasn’t measured by the score.

It was measured by the crowd.

Chicago didn’t just watch Banana Ball—it joined the show

At Rate Field in 2025, Tack remembers an audience filled with curiosity.

Many fans were experiencing Banana Ball for the first time.

“They came to watch Banana Ball,” she said.

There was excitement throughout the stadium, but much of it revolved around the novelty of the experience.

White Sox legends received enormous ovations.

Fans appreciated seeing baseball mixed with entertainment.

The atmosphere still felt rooted in traditional baseball culture.

“It was a spectacle arriving in Chicago,” Tack said. “Baseball nostalgia was a huge part of the experience.”

Wrigley Field felt completely different

By the time Banana Ball arrived at Wrigley Field in 2026, Tack said the atmosphere had transformed.

“The audience came to participate in Banana Ball.”

That one sentence captures what she believes changed.

Fans no longer needed to learn the songs.

They already knew them.

They weren’t discovering the dances.

They were dancing along.

Instead of simply cheering for great baseball plays, the crowd erupted for choreographed performances, comedy moments and fan interactions that have become hallmarks of Banana Ball.

“Every inning felt more like a concert or Broadway production than a sporting event,” Tack said.

A stadium full of participants

One of the strongest impressions came from looking around the ballpark.

Children arrived wearing banana costumes.

Adults did too.

Yellow shirts, banana hats and themed outfits filled the stands.

Perhaps most striking was how engaged nearly everyone remained throughout the game.

“There were very few people sitting on their hands,” Tack said.

“From toddlers to grandparents, nearly everyone was singing, dancing, laughing and interacting.”

To her, it felt less like tens of thousands of strangers attending a sporting event and more like an audience that had collectively agreed to become part of the performance.

“It felt less like 40,000 strangers attending a game and more like 40,000 people who’d all agreed to be part of the same show.”

More than baseball

Tack believes the move from Rate Field to Wrigley Field also represented something larger.

The 2025 games demonstrated that Chicago was willing to give Banana Ball a chance.

The 2026 games suggested something much bigger.

“The 2025 games proved Chicago would embrace it,” she said.

“The 2026 games showed Chicago had fallen in love with it.”

That observation reflects one of the most interesting aspects of Banana Ball’s continued growth.

As the sport expands into new cities, the experience often evolves.

Early audiences arrive curious.

Returning audiences arrive already knowing the songs, traditions and personalities.

They don’t simply watch Banana Ball.

They help create it.

A special place in her heart

Although Tack now lives in northern Indiana, Chicago remains deeply personal.

“Even though I don’t live in Chicago anymore, it’s still my city,” she said.

“It holds a special place in the hearts of Reid and me.”

Her son Reid, a 14-year-old baseball player, has also become a passionate Banana Ball fan.

He told Savannah Bananas On SI that while traditional baseball can sometimes slow down, Banana Ball never gives him the opportunity to become bored because there’s always something happening—from trick plays and music to dancing and fan interaction.

Together, the two experienced something few fans have had the opportunity to witness firsthand:

Not simply two Banana Ball games.

But the rapid transformation of an entire city’s relationship with one of the fastest-growing live entertainment experiences in America.

Why it matters

Sports organizations often spend years trying to build traditions that unite generations of fans.

According to Tack, Banana Ball appears to be doing exactly that.

At Wrigley Field, children, parents and grandparents weren’t experiencing the event in different ways.

They were experiencing it together.

And perhaps that’s the most remarkable evolution of all.

The Savannah Bananas didn’t simply bring Banana Ball back to Chicago.

They helped create a community that now feels like it’s part of the show.

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