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KANSAS CITY, KS – MAY 06: Split, the mascot of the Savannah Bananas dances before the start of a … More banana ball game against the the Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field on Friday, May 6, 2022 in Kansas City, KS. (Kent Nishimura \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n
While most of the attention in NASCAR broadcasting this season has gone to the Cup Series\u2014with all eyes on Amazon Prime\u2019s flashy debut\u2014a different kind of network has quietly been using the NASCAR Xfinity Series to rewrite the rules of sports television. And frankly, it\u2019s doing it with a lot more guts, and just the right amount of bananas.<\/p>\n
Enter The CW.<\/p>\n
Yes, that CW\u2014the one that grew out of the smoldering remains of the WB and UPN in 2006. For years, it was a haven for capes, teenage angst, and endless spin-offs from the DC Comics multiverse. The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow\u2014they all had a home there.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t exactly a profitable few years for the network, so The CW\u2019s new owners at Nexstar decided it was time to chart a new course. Gone were superheroes and teenage dramas. They were replaced by unscripted programs, game shows, and\u2014perhaps most surprisingly\u2014a full-on charge into the world of live sports. But not just any sports. The CW Sports didn\u2019t pick up NFL rights or chase March Madness. No, they went rogue, became a disruptor of sorts.<\/p>\n
They signed deals with LIV Golf. Then WWE\u2019s NXT. Then the AVP (beach volleyball), the PBA (bowling), and most recently, professional bull riding. If there\u2019s a sport too wild, weird, or off-brand for the legacy networks, chances are The CW is giving it a primetime slot.<\/p>\n
Signing NASCAR\u2019s Xfinity series last year made perfect sense for the network. It was a smart move. The Xfinity Series audience is loyal and deeply engaged\u2014just the kind of fanbase a network with big sports ambitions could rally around.<\/p>\n
A Savannah Bananas and CW-themed No. 99 Chevrolet, driven by Matt DiBenedetto, will be on-track … More during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 26.<\/p>\n
Viking Motorsports<\/p>\n
But then came a twist a few months after the deal was announced. Originally set to begin broadcasting NASCAR Xfinity Series races starting in 2025, The CW didn\u2019t wait. They jumped the green flag, taking over race coverage in September 2024.<\/p>\n
Next up on The CW? Baseball. But not the kind of baseball that gently hums Take Me Out to the Ballgame. This is Banana Ball\u2014the high-octane, choreographed, TikTok-dominating, foul-ball-caught-by-a-fan-is-an-out baseball circus that\u2019s selling out stadiums and redefining what a \u201cgame\u201d actually is. Think Harlem Globetrotters meet Jackass, played in cleats.<\/p>\n
And NASCAR fans will be getting a glimpse of it Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n
The CW and the Savannah Bananas have partnered with Viking Motorsports to bring the spirit of Banana Ball to the track. The No. 99 Chevrolet, driven by Matt DiBenedetto, will carry a full Savannah Bananas and CW-themed livery in Saturday\u2019s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway\u2014a high-speed billboard for the team\u2019s live broadcast debut the very next day.<\/p>\n
Since their inception in 2016 the Savannah Bananas have turned baseball on its head. With choreographed dances, celebratory antics, flaming bats (yes, literal flaming bats), and a firm commitment to entertaining the crowd first and worrying about the score later, the Bananas have become a cultural phenomenon. With over 9.8 million followers on TikTok, they\u2019ve surpassed every team in MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL, and yes even NASCAR, in social reach. And every game at their home field, Savannah\u2019s historic Grayson Stadium, has sold out since day one.<\/p>\n
Just the kind of chaos The CW seems built for.<\/p>\n
“These guys are fun, and we consider ourselves that way,” said Mike Perman, Senior Vice President of CW Sports. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to grow the network from a sports perspective and reach younger demos. We just felt like this would align\u2014it would be something fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perman said the Bananas were a perfect match for a network with a strategy built around bold, unconventional moves. \u201cWe had heard ESPN was about to do a deal, and we figured if they\u2019re looking, we should move fast. Our president Brad Schwartz has always leaned into creative risks, and Banana Ball just fits that mold.\u201d<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 13, 2024: The Savannah Bananas perform after a game against the Firefighters … More at Nationals Park on July 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi\/Diamond Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Diamond Images\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s more than just a gimmick. Perman emphasized that, while the Bananas bring energy and antics, it\u2019s still competitive sport. \u201cThe players are really good athletes. The games still matter. The rules may be different, but they still have to perform. It\u2019s not just a show\u2014it\u2019s competition with a twist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perman also confirmed that this isn\u2019t just a one-off. \u201cWe\u2019ve done cross-promotions before with WWE talent at NASCAR races, and we\u2019re doing the same here. Matt DiBenedetto will throw out the ceremonial first banana at the game in Philly on Sunday. We even turned our logo yellow this week\u2014we\u2019re calling it Banana Palooza.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday, the Bananas make their broadcast television debut live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. A sold-out crowd of more than 40,000 will be on hand as the Bananas take on the Texas Tailgaters. DiBenedetto, fresh off Saturday\u2019s race, will trade his firesuit for a jersey and throw out the ceremonial first pitch\u2014connecting the dots between motorsport mayhem and baseball bedlam.<\/p>\n
What began as a midseason NASCAR promotion might just be the blueprint for how The CW plans to tie its sports properties together and continue being the disruptor. One flaming bat, one painted racecar, and one national broadcast at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KANSAS CITY, KS – MAY 06: Split, the mascot of the Savannah Bananas dances before the start of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":91134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1406,27256,62,33451,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-91133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-nascar","9":"tag-savannah-bananas","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-the-cw","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114913404994028405","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}