Baseball like you’ve never seen it before, that’s the promise of the Savannah Bananas and their unique spin on the game. They call it: Banana Ball. The new twist on America’s favorite pastime has sold out as the show has been sweeping the country.
Two new Banana Ball teams were unveiled this month. Savannah Bananas’ owner Jesse Cole announced the “Loco Beach Coconuts” and their associated dance troupe called the Hula-gans.
Front and center is a professional wrestler who is known in the ring as the “Hawaiian warrior.” Kekoa Wong’s parents met in Hawaiʻi, but he was raised in a small town in Pennsylvania.
Wong spoke with The Conversation about how his training in professional wrestling led him to the world of Banana Ball, and the line between cultural appreciation and appropriation.
This story aired on The Conversation on Oct. 20, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
