Banana Ball is Taking the World by Storm!
What started as a fun baseball experiment has turned into a nationwide phenomena! The Savannah Bananas, creators of a new style of baseball called Banana Ball, are selling out even the largest MLB stadiums, including National’s Park in Washington D.C. Their popularity is soaring thanks to their crazy antics and the entertaining spin on traditional baseball rules.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bananas, think of them as the baseball equivalent to the Harlem Globetrotters. They’ve got their own rules, their games are full of silly antics and set pieces, and fans from all over can’t wait to join in the fun - including the Capitol Police in D.C. In July of 2024, the Bananas were scheduled to play at Nationals Park and the Capitol Police reached out on social media to welcome them to town!
Getting to Know the Challenge Coin Tradition
The Savannah Bananas are introducing the world to a new style of baseball, but it was the Capitol Police who introduced challenge coins to the Bananas. We asked Sean McNaughton, the customer who designed the Savannah Banana coins, to tell us more about the project and he told us that the project came about in a strange way.
“A colleague of mine is a big fan of the Bananas, and he reached out to them on social media when he heard they were coming to D.C.,” said Sean. “It turns out that the person he connected with is the owner of the team, and, since he himself is an officer at the U.S. capitol, he invited them to stop by the Capitol if they had time.”As it turns out, the team did have time, but that only left a couple of weeks to get an order of coins created. Usually, challenge coins take around three or four weeks for production, but Sean knew we could get a rush order finished in time here in the U.S.
Domestic challenge coins with simulated enamel can sometimes cut production time in half, so our team set to work with Sean to get a design squared away and into production as fast as possible. Sean said, “My colleague was able to give the entire Savannah Bananas team, and their ownership, a tour of the Capitol Building when they came to town. We made the coins because he wanted something special to commemorate their visit to the city and the Capitol Building. When the team arrived, he handed a coin to each of the players and managers.”
The Savannah Bananas played a full game of Banana Ball in front of a sold out crowd at Nationals Park, and it’s so awesome to know that each player got to bring a custom coin with them to the field.
Challenge Coins Are For All Walks of Life
As a custom coin company, we love seeing all the unique and exciting ways our customers use challenge coins out in the real world. What started as a humble tradition shared between soldiers, is on its way to being a world-wide phenomena, just like the Savannah Bananas! We’ve worked on coins for space programs, video game companies, movie studios, and more, and we’re always looking to share coins in new and exciting ways. We’re so happy that the Banana players and staff got their own coins to celebrate their trip to D.C., and we hope that they have more coins in their future!
For anyone looking to design a custom coin, we’re here to help! Just fill out a free quote form and we’ll take care of the rest. The best part - artwork and revisions are free! We’re excited to help you share your story with the world - one coin at a time!
