The Savannah Bananas Ticket Disaster :: There Has To Be A Better Way

The Savannah Bananas Ticket Disaster :: There Has To Be A Better Way

We’ve been Savannah Bananas fans for about 4 years now. I have two boys: one is my little baseball player, and the other is my little baseball fan. Even if I didn’t have a baseball family though, we would probably still love the Savannah Bananas.

If you have no idea what everyone is going bananas over, a quick trip down the YouTube rabbit hole will tell you all you need to know. Pitchers doing choreographed routines. Batters on stilts. Dancing umpires. The Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team and the Man-Nanas, a dad-bod cheerleading squad. You’ll see insane plays/circus stunts during the game, which has a kid-friendly time limit of 2 hours. And, to top it off, you’ll see actual talent. A few players have played Major League Baseball, and most have played in the minors. There are even some Cy Young winners in the league. I liken the Savannah Bananas to the Harlem Globetrotters but with baseball instead of basketball. And, if you think what you see of the team and their tricks is cool, watch the documentary Bananaland, and you’ll fall totally in love with this organization. But, if you do, be prepared to have your heart broken because you ain’t going to a game.

I long for the days of camping out for tickets.

Today was the day Louisiana Bananas fans would find out their eligibility in the ticket lottery. Similar to the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco, if you wanted tickets to see the Savannah Bananas play the Party Animals in one of the three games in Baton Rouge this March, you had to register for the lottery. Today, I found out that I, along with everyone else I know, did not get selected to be able to purchase tickets next week. The same thing happened to me with Taylor Swift tickets. I was bummed about that, but got over it pretty quickly. The Savannah Bananas situation hits different for me though. I wanted this for my boys, for our family. There is something about this team and organization that is so wholesome that makes it worse, like my sweet boys and I just deserve to go.

It blows my mind how, in the year 2024, bots or gougers buy up all the tickets and leave virtually none for the rest of us. How have we not figured out a better way?! I would gladly camp out at Major Video or outside the stadium or Sound Warehouse or wherever in order to score tickets without first having to sell a kidney.

Then again, maybe I’m part of the problem.

The thing is, I, like many other parents I know, would do just about anything to bring a smile to my kids’ faces. So, this means that I’m picking up some overtime shifts at work to get my hands on resale Taylor Swift tickets. It also means that, right before Christmas, in an effort to avoid a Taylor Swift situation, I kinda bought Savannah Bananas tickets. Now, face value for Bananas tickets is $35/per ticket, which I absolutely love as it speaks to the organization’s desire to promote affordable family fun. Yet, in early December, I was able to buy 4 general admission tickets totaling $934.68, so that breaks down to approximately $234 per ticket. I paid about 6 times more than face value. No, I wasn’t thrilled about that, but I was thrilled to have tickets. So how did I do it? Well, I bought from StubHub. Essentially, I bought them before they were even on sale from someone who knew they would be able to get tickets once they did go on sale (apparently, those who purchased a large quantity/group got to get tickets early; wish I’d have known that). StubHub has a full, money-back guarantee if something happens and I don’t get my tickets. I won’t lose my money, but I did sort of unwittingly gamble with my kids’ Christmas present.

If that sounds confusing to you, it was to me, too. Until today, I truly thought I had tickets. It was only today, as I was scrolling social media, that I realized what I’d actually done. The tickets, if I do have them, will be transferred to me the week of the game. If not, then I will get a full refund, and the seller will be permanently banned from the site. Or, maybe I’ll get fake tickets, arrive to the gate to be turned away, break my kids’ hearts, and then get my money back. If you still don’t understand what I’m saying, what it amounts to is this: the whole digital ticket situation is bullshit, and it’s unfortunate because if you want tickets to something, you basically have to use third-party sites and pay the markup PLUS the fees (don’t even get me started on the fees). To credit the Savannah Bananas, in the email I received today stating that I got waitlisted, they do specifically call out third-party sites, refer to scalpers as “booger pickers,” and state that they actively try to permanently ban those buyers in keeping with their “Fans first” mission. But still. Bummer.

Lastly, if you are a scalper, you are low-down and selfish.

I said what I said. Yes, I understand supply and demand. No, it’s not a like a business. If you purchase tickets or a hot Christmas toy or anything at face value solely for the purpose of marking it up to turn a profit, you are not clever. You are not doing anyone any favors. You are selfish. There is no way around that. You are taking from children and families who maybe can’t afford to pay an exorbitant mark up. I am fortunate that I can pick up a few extra shifts and swing it, but I recognize that privilege. I don’t like being part of the problem, but I want to make memories with my family and experience concerts and games and shows together. So, what is my other option?