The Savannah Bananas first appeared on ESPN platforms in 2022, and this year ESPN more than doubled its year-over-year inventory of Bananas broadcasts with a 25-game exclusive package for 2026 that streams every “Banana Ball” game on the ESPN App and Disney+, along with select games airing across ESPN networks and ABC.
“This expanded agreement reflects the incredible growth and fan demand surrounding Banana Ball,” Brent Colborne, Vice President of ESPN Programming Content & Strategy, said via a statement at the time.
Not everyone at the Worldwide Leader, however, is a fan of the energy and creativity the Bananas are offering.
The Bananas were featured on Monday’s episode of Pardon the Interruption, but longtime hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon had wildly different takes on the barnstorming baseball squad.
“Let’s cleanse our pitching palate with this fun moment from the Savannah Bananas game on Saturday night when 49-year-old Kerry Wood threw an improbable strike in his first pitch in Wrigley since retiring 14 years ago,” Kornheiser said of a behind-the-back strike the former Cubs pitcher threw in Chicago over the weekend.
Wilbon, a diehard Cubs fan, however, was not having it.
Michael Wilbon is NOT down with the Savannah Bananas
“Tony, I’m not acknowledging that Banana stuff, I’m not!” pic.twitter.com/3n9qEKkE8Z
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 28, 2026
“He’s throwing out ceremonial first pitches as recently as a few months ago, and I’m sure he can throw a strike. Tony, I’m not, I’m not acknowledging that banana stuff. I’m not. They can sell out Wrigley Field from now until the cows come home. I’m not down with that. You’d be the only one.”
“You’d be the only one not acknowledging it because it’s entertainment and it sells out,” Kornheiser responded.
It’s safe to say Wilbon won’t be watching the Banana Bowl, the Banana Ball League’s season championship, on Disney+ this summer; Kornheiser is right that he’s fighting a losing battle. For the last several years, the Savannah Bananas have sold out NFL stadiums, college football venues, and MLB ballparks across the country and ascended into one of the most recognizable brands in sports.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.