Two control rooms in Savannah, GA, are the home of production<\/h4>\n
Without any hyperbole, the Savannah Bananas are the greatest story in sports over the past two years. The former collegiate summer baseball team that turned into a must-watch YouTube sensation is selling out professional baseball and <\/em>football stadiums across the country, and its games air on ESPN and TNT Sports linear networks.<\/p>\n Success didn\u2019t happen overnight: it took the willingness of Fan First Entertainment founder\/Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole <\/strong>and President Jared Orton<\/strong> to take a risk. The team has become a catalyst for fun for fans young and old, and the well-oiled machine runs with remote productions from two control rooms in Savannah, GA; an onsite production van; an agile technical-services team; and the initiative to keep improving.<\/p>\n All Savannah Bananas games are livestreamed on Banana TV, the team\u2019s dedicated YouTube page.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWorking for Jesse Cole is very empowering,\u201d says Mitch Rubenstein, head, production services, Savannah Bananas<\/strong>. \u201cThe one thing he wants is to \u2018plus up\u2019 the experience. Every time you watch our show, there are always new things that are added.\u201d<\/p>\n Cole believes in putting the fans above everything else. From affordable prices on tickets, food, and merchandise to a first-class show for those willing to spend money on coming to the ballpark, he understands that the team wouldn\u2019t exist without these loyal customers. After competing in the Coastal Plain League from 2016 to 2018 and splitting time between the traditional game and \u201cBanana Ball\u201d \u2014 the team plays by a unique set of rules \u2014 from 2018 until 2022, the franchise decided to focus exclusively on its brand of entertainment-based baseball.<\/p>\n One of the two control rooms at headquarters in Savannah handled remote productions for the Bananas vs. Firefighters at Baltimore\u2019s Oriole Park at Camden Yards Aug. 1-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cole\u2019s \u201cfan first\u201d ethos is reflected in the organization\u2019s broadcasting approach: providing a completely free viewing option on YouTube<\/a>. With nearly 2.5 million subscribers, this is still the primary live-distribution method for all games of the main team along with content from its three competitors: the Party Animals<\/a>, the Bananas\u2019 original and longtime opponents at 325,000 subscribers; the Firefighters<\/a>, who debuted last year, with 31,000 subscribers; and the Texas Tailgaters<\/a>, Banana Ball\u2019s newest team, at a little over 18,000 subscribers. The Visitors, a Banana Ball development squad that played two games this summer, don\u2019t have a dedicated channel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems we\u2019re hitting a new record high [for viewership] every game,\u201d says Rubenstein. \u201cHitting about a quarter of a million views per game, in the world of YouTube, is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n In a secondary control room, a crew remotely produces a game between the Party Animals and the Texas Tailgaters at CHS Field in St. Paul, MN, Aug. 1-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At the very beginning, all the club\u2019s resources were dedicated to its own channels and finding ways to deliver content to Bananas fans however possible. Through the work of Savannah Bananas Head of Technology Systems Matt Webster<\/strong>, the transmission and distribution workflow has become a bit more sophisticated.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil this year,\u201d Webster says, \u201cthe scale for the Bananas was very purpose-built by going only to YouTube. We\u2019ve now implemented a Zixi ZEN Master\u2013based solution to help a lot of our streaming. We\u2019ve had to do a combination of Ku- and C-band satellite, but we\u2019ve mostly distributed via SRT to deliver IP to a majority of our partners.\u201d<\/p>\n An onsite van, commonly called the Banana Van, sends feeds to the facility in Savannah.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The uptick in complexity is a direct result of heightened interest in the team\u2019s style of baseball. After only five games on ESPN\u2019s family of networks, the agreement expanded significantly with a total of 12 games: seven on ESPN2, three on ESPN, and two exclusively on ESPN+ and Disney+. Over-the-air broadcasters are also getting in on the action, with The CW airing the Bananas\u2019 game at Philadelphia\u2019s Citizens Bank Park on July 27. True to the Bananas\u2019 digital-centric roots, the club streamed its July 6 contest at Boston\u2019s Fenway Park on Roku.<\/p>\n More recently, after the conclusion of this year\u2019s run with ESPN, TNT Sports has opted into broadcasting the tail end of the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour from Aug. 16 to Sept. 27 in multiple MLB stadiums: the Chicago White Sox\u2019s Rate Field, Pittsburgh Pirates\u2019 PNC Park, San Diego Padres\u2019 Petco Park, New York Yankees\u2019 Yankee Stadium, Seattle Mariners\u2019 T-Mobile Park, and Houston Astros\u2019 Daikin Park. The Banana Ball Tour Championship Oct. 2-11 at the team\u2019s home venue, Historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah, will also be broadcast by TNT Sports.<\/p>\n The immense growth of Banana Ball has necessitated a handful of changes in both production and operations. A simple plan of attack was once used to livestream games, but, with bigger crowds, a larger viewership, and Cole\u2019s inherent bent toward innovation, a larger investment was needed to solidify the organization\u2019s broadcast infrastructure both at the stadium and at its headquarters in Savannah.<\/p>\n Connectivity inside the Banana Van<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At the heart of the effort is an onsite production van, commonly known as the Banana Van, which rolls up to the host venue. The vehicle houses the cameras, connectivity, and other essential equipment for producing the foundation of the broadcast. It is the conduit to the central hub of Banana Ball: two newly constructed control rooms at the team\u2019s home base. One control room remotely produces the game featuring the Bananas and one of four opponents; with the help of a flypack located at a different venue, the other control room handles a game featuring the other three squads. Along with Zixi ZEN Master, LiveU is a critical partner for sending signals to the Savannah-based crews. Playing a part in ensuring that these systems and software are online is Savannah Bananas Head of Engineering Sean McCluskey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Inside the Banana Van during Bananas vs. Party Animals from Savannah\u2019s Grayson Stadium on April 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The control-room upgrades were completed prior to the start of the 112-game, 41-city, eight-month-long World Tour. Rubenstein, Webster, McCluskey, along with others, were tasked with also enhancing the technologies and workflows currently in use. The newly acquired tech in the arsenal, along with a reliable production home, gives the broadcasts an extra layer of preparedness.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that we\u2019re going back to ballparks that we were in last season, it has very much been plug-and-play,\u201d says McCluskey. \u201cThe built-out Banana Van has made the integration into some of these bigger ballparks a lot easier since it can [connect] to the venue\u2019s infrastructure like a traditional mobile unit would.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether sports or entertainment, any World Tour comes with challenges and areas for error. The massive scale of the Savannah Bananas\u2019 endeavor, along with sometimes hitting multiple locations in a short period, can put a strain on the personnel handling the broadcasts. The large number of games has forced the crew to adapt along the way, including moving from a 100% internal-staff effort to relying on, and finding, local talent to work the games.<\/p>\n Savannah Bananas outfielder Robert Anthony Cruz, also known as Coach RAC, performs a backflip while miked up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe try to get as far ahead as we can because we\u2019re trying to find crew and be super-organized,\u201d says Rubenstein. \u201cWe treat our games the same way as any mainstream television network by making sure that we have the right infrastructure laid out by the time we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n From a technological perspective, the many days of back-to-back nights or simultaneous play can put extra stress on both the technology in the field and the remote-production setup in Savannah. To fulfill Cole\u2019s vision of putting the fans first, the behind-the-scenes crew will do whatever necessary to ensure that fans not in attendance can still watch their beloved Bananas.<\/p>\n \u201cSean has been a big driver in figuring out and making it work for these second shows, where we have only enough internet connection to get one video feed out at some of these venues,\u201d adds Webster. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s about how we can we make the show better for the fans by sometimes reducing our technology complexity and doing more of a traditional show.\u201d<\/p>\n Savannah Bananas play-by-play announcer Biko Skalla and analyst Josh Talevski interview pitcher Dakota \u201cStilts\u201d Albritton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In live event production, a lot of broadcast elements are out of Fan First Entertainment\u2019s control. One of these is inclement weather\u2019s postponing a game; in the traveling show that is Bananaland, a lost day can cause problems down the line. Luckily, weather has cooperated this summer, but, from a tech standpoint, the roaming Banana Van and its gear still need to get from venue to venue with ample time to set up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe work closely with our events team to get the gear to each stadium on time and know certain aspects like where to load our equipment and how to power everything up,\u201d adds McCluskey. \u201cHaving that communication and coordination with them has been paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n Ranging from the Bananas\u2019 largest-ever crowd of 81,000 at Clemson University\u2019s Memorial Stadium on April 26 to their Savannah home with a capacity of 5,000, the beauty of the current World Tour is that it stops at a wide variety of stadiums. For fans, it offers many opportunities to see the spectacle in person, but, from an operational and engineering perspective, the sliding scale of size can present several roadblocks.<\/p>\n Larger and newer venues are generally more accommodating to broadcast needs: state-of-the-art truck compounds, updated connectivity, a sturdier tech backbone. Smaller venues \u2014 like many of the MiLB stadiums hosting Party Animals, Firefighters, and Texas Tailgaters games \u2014 aren\u2019t so broadcast-friendly.<\/p>\n For example, during the first week of July, the Bananas appeared at two stadiums within the Boston Red Sox organization: Fenway Park in Boston on July 5-6 and Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark in Salem, VA, on July 11-12. The former is a major-league ballpark that underwent renovations in the offseason, including new videoboards in the outfield; the latter, home to the Single-A affiliate Salem Red Sox, has a max capacity of just over 6,000 and hasn\u2019t had significant tech changes since its opening in 1995.<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, McCluskey strives to bring the same top-tier broadcasts in whatever venue the teams play in. \u201c[Working with the Red Sox organization], the Bananas understand the interest of making sure there isn\u2019t any dip in quality,\u201d he notes. \u201cWhen we came on during the offseason, we had a lot of fun to make all this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Savannah Bananas reporter Sam Bauman looks into the camera with a magnifying glass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Although the fans don\u2019t see the effort it takes to bring them the shows, the evolution has been quite noticeable for the production team. Going from cameras and camcorders suited mainly for live streaming to broadcast-grade cameras and box lenses is a huge leap with a potential learning curve, but camera operators and the entire broadcast team have been eager to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been extremely rewarding to be able to work with the people that were here before us and see how much they\u2019ve embraced these changes,\u201d says McCluskey. \u201cSeeing them learn all of these new techniques that they didn\u2019t know were even possible four months ago has been cool.\u201d<\/p>\n If there\u2019s anything sports fans should know about Jesse Cole, it\u2019s that he\u2019s always looking to implement new rules or points of contact for fans to be involved. Stealing first base?<\/a> A fan catching a foul ball counting as an out?<\/a> An ejection for bunting?<\/a> And a complete turnaround from old-school baseball: a two-hour time limit?<\/a> Only in Banana Ball.<\/p>\n As the rules are amended or additional ones are implemented, the production and technical crews need to adapt. Fortunately, the background of Rubenstein, Webster, and McCluskey at Ross Production Services\/Ross Mobile Productions helps the team remain nimble and ready to go at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n \u201cWe often did entertainment-style shows, combat sports, and esports,\u201d notes Webster, \u201cso we were constantly having to balance new technologies for very specific types of shows and adapting those technologies to other productions. As we pioneered a lot of the esports productions, we were keen on mixing 1080p workflows, fiber connectivity, and AR or VR insertion, but we were also familiar with adding single-sensor cameras for a more cinematic look with traditional broadcast cameras. [With] the Bananas, we\u2019re using this experience to push their vision forward and find ways to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n Firefighters broadcast entertainer Zach Staton on the field with pitcher Mat Wolf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Unlike with any other professional sports team or league, the production has unlimited freedom to express creativity and storytelling at the highest level. Players on all four rosters are more than willing to be miked and are even comfortable performing backflips or breakdancing in the outfield<\/a>. Without stringent regulations, camera operators are allowed to run on the field alongside a player making a WWE-style entrance\/TikTok dance starting from beyond the centerfield wall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Credit to the players for making themselves and their personalities available, but Cole\u2019s and Orton\u2019s out-of-the-box thinking has opened doors to what is possible on a broadcast. In addition to broadcast responsibilities, Fan First Entertainment plays a large role in the in-venue production of each game.<\/p>\n Operations are fairly standard for bigger venues with high-octane control rooms. Savannah Bananas Technical Director Jessie Hirzel<\/strong>, for instance, worked in the Philadelphia Phillies\u2019 recently renovated control room and on the staff of PhanaVision for the Bananas\u2019 trip to the City of Brotherly Love. At the smaller venues, the team\u2019s flypack supplies video feeds for in-house crews that have production switchers without a ton of available resources.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re able split our flypack into two [with feeds going to Savannah for our broadcast production and feeds going to the in-stadium control room],\u201d says McCluskey. \u201cWe\u2019ve done that a handful of times during this tour. It has been awesome to marry what we do on the broadcast side with what\u2019s going on inside the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n This system has become critical for a major wrinkle of Banana Ball: fan challenges<\/a>. If there\u2019s a borderline play and a fan deems it worthy of a closer review, the umpires will honor their request, and everyone sees the replay on the in-venue videoboard. The difference between the Bananas and other professional sports leagues is that the review is done in real time for all to see. It\u2019s yet another way for fans to feel fully immersed in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going undercover,\u201d explains McCluskey. \u201cEveryone is seeing the same camera angles together.\u201d<\/p>\nBirthplace of Banana Ball: \u2018Fan First\u2019 Begins With Free Streaming on YouTube<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nREMI-Powered: Savannah-Based Control Room, Banana Van Drive Each Broadcast<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nLogistical Layout:<\/strong> Packed Schedule, Simultaneous Games Are a Production Curveball<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nFrom Majors to Minors: Stadiums in Various Sizes Add to the Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nNew Rules, No Rules: As Banana Ball Changes, Crew Has Freedom To Experiment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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