With the 2026 Banana Bowl complete, I’ve been looking back through my notes, interviews and articles from this season.
There are plenty of scores in that stack. There are also ticket questions, a princess, a team president with a mop and a connection to Dave Matthews Band that made perfect sense to me.
Covering Banana Ball has given me reasons to talk to people I probably would never have met otherwise. Some work in front of thousands of fans. Others are the people sitting in those seats.
These are a few of the conversations and stories I’ll carry with me after the championship.
Ashleigh Masters reminded me to listen to the fans
One of the stories that has stayed with me involved Ashleigh Masters, a Spokane resident who described finding joy and community through Banana Ball following her battle with cancer. "How the Savannah Bananas Community Helped a Fan Find Joy Again After Battle with Cancer."
“It brought so much of me feeling like myself again,” she told me.
Her experience included encouragement from fellow fans, kindness from players and help from stadium staff when navigating the stairs was difficult. Those gestures mattered enough that she remembered the people responsible.
When I covered Ashleigh’s experience with the Savannah Bananas community, the story was hers to tell. My job was to listen carefully.
It’s easy to spend an entire game watching the field. Ashleigh gave me a reason to pay closer attention to the people around it.
Jared Orton explained the idea. Sam Bauman described the work.
At Wrigley Field, I spoke with Savannah Bananas president Jared Orton about the organization he helps lead. "Who Is Jared Orton? Meet the Savannah Bananas President."
“Make baseball fun. Make it about people. Make it about the fans.”
That line captures much of what Jared discussed in our conversation about the Bananas. But another interview gave me a particularly useful example of how that approach looks during an ordinary workday.
Sam Bauman, whose work includes sideline reporting, told me about seeing the team president doing something that rarely makes a highlight reel. "Savannah Bananas' Sam Bauman Explains What Fans Never See Behind Banana Ball."
“I saw Jared Orton, our team president, cleaning up and mopping the floor at Grayson Stadium,” Sam said.
That detail belonged in my story about what fans don’t see behind Banana Ball. Sam described an organization where people contribute beyond their assigned jobs.
The dancing and trick plays attract attention. Hearing about the work around them helped me understand how the show gets delivered.
Princess Potassia’s most memorable story happened on the floor
An interview with Princess Potassia comes with certain expectations. Royalty. Yellow. A conversation that might wander somewhere unusual. "I Visited Princess Potassia’s Castle. Banana Land Is Even Stranger Than I Thought."
What I remember most from our conversation is her account of meeting a young girl who was overwhelmed.
“I just went and parked myself right on the floor next to her and mom,” she told me.
The connection continued. The girl later returned wearing a dress and made a scrapbook for her.
There’s no scoreboard for that interaction. It happened because someone noticed a child needed a little patience and decided to give her some.
That’s a story worth asking about, even on a day when something spectacular happens on the field.
Hannah Arbitman helped explain the pace
“This game never stops.”
In-game sports host Hannah Arbitman gave me that description during our conversation about the Banana Ball experience. "Why Savannah Bananas Games Feel Different."
It’s a useful observation for anyone attending for the first time. There’s the game, and there’s everything happening around it. You can find yourself watching the crowd, the hosts or a performance and suddenly realize another part of the show has started.
Talking with Hannah helped me think about the people responsible for keeping fans involved throughout the evening. What feels spontaneous from your seat still requires someone to know what happens next.
Some of my most useful reporting started with a ticket question
Not every article needs a big personality at its center.
Sometimes a reader wants to understand the ticket lottery. Sometimes a family needs to know when the gates open or which bag to bring.
My conversation with Steven Wilde, the head of ticket experience, helped explain how the Savannah Bananas ticket lottery works. "How the Savannah Bananas Ticket Lottery Actually Works."
Those questions deserve clear answers. Planning a trip can involve time off work, a hotel reservation and children who have been talking about the game for weeks. Confusing ticket information can turn that excitement into frustration.
The interviews and the practical guides belong together. One helps readers understand the people. The other helps them get to the ballpark.
The Dave Matthews Band connection felt personal
As a Dave Matthews Band fan, I especially enjoyed exploring why Jesse Cole credits DMB with helping shape the Savannah Bananas. "Why Jesse Cole Credits Dave Matthews Band With Helping Build the Savannah Bananas."
That article drew on Cole’s podcast comments and insights from The Grey Street Pod. It considered why fans return to a show when they’ve already seen the performers.
“Fan excitement generates fan excitement,” they said.
I recognize that feeling. Someone tells you about a concert. A friend sends a clip. Before long, you’re checking dates and wondering who can come with you.
The overlap gave me a way to explore Banana Ball through something I already loved, and a reason for music fans to take a closer look at what was happening in baseball stadiums.
The stories I want to keep telling
Looking back, I’m struck by how often a small detail became the part of an interview I remembered most. Sam described Jared with a mop. Princess Potassia sitting on the floor beside a child. Ashleigh explained what it meant to feel like herself again.
Those conversations will influence what I ask next season. Along with the players and personalities, I want to hear from the families planning their first trip, the employees making the show happen and the fans who keep coming back.
There are practical questions to keep answering, too. Getting tickets and figuring out a ballpark shouldn’t be the hard part of enjoying Banana Ball.
I’m grateful to everyone who gave me their time this season. Several probably thought they were answering a routine interview question. Their answers gave me something I’m still thinking about.
Now to a boring and slow Banana Ball offseason. Yeah, right.
See additional Savannah Bananas On SI content!
Banana Bowl 2026: Everything to Know About Banana Ball’s First Championship Event
Longtime Savannah Bananas Fans Reveal What Banana Ball Must Never Lose
Why Jesse Cole Credits Dave Matthews Band With Helping Build the Savannah Bananas
Add us as a preferred source on Google