Banana Ball has taken over the United States, and each team has a concept that influences the type of show that they put on. The Texas Tailgaters do country-themed activities, while The Party Animals have a hectic, club-type atmosphere for their games.

The Firefighters have a more complex theme behind their team. The team draws inspiration from the owner of Banana Ball Jesse Cole’s son, Maverick, who admires firefighters. The players and coaches take pride in representing the fire service. Their head coach leads the charge, having retired after a decade with the Corpus Christi, TX, Fire Department.

After attending the games on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 in Syracuse, NY, it was clear to me that the show The Firefighters put on is not only engaging but also toes the line perfectly between fun and serious—just like life as a firefighter.

The Firefighters get to showcase their themed games when they are the home team or, as Banana Ball calls it, “the headliner.”

More than a game

Knowing that you represent firefighters, a very noble and impressive profession, there must be respect among all the festivities. The players and coaches know that and apply that even outside of the game.

Some are interested in joining the fire service; some make it a point to visit fire stations in every city they go to for an inside look and a better understanding of who and what they represent. Some make sure they talk to at least one or two actual firefighters who attend their games.

In the first game of the weekend of a series, The Firefighters take time to honor a local “Firefighter of the Night,” who is nominated by someone in the Banana Ball organization, typically a player. In the second game, they honor a local fire department.

The games I attended varied from the regular schedule because it was Sept. 11, and the 343 FDNY firefighters who died 25 years earlier were honored as a unit before the first game. However, on Sept. 12, they honored Capt. Kelly Wilcox of the Syracuse Fire Department.

“This was something that I never foresaw happening,” Wilcox told Firehouse. Walking out and 10,000 people cheering me on is something that'll never happen again.”

Her deputy chief asked if she would be okay with being honored during the game. She had seen a couple of Banana Ball games on television and was very curious, so she jumped at the chance to bring her family.

“I was so impressed with the team; everybody that contacted me, reached out to me and talked to me,” Wilcox exclaimed. “Everybody affiliated with that organization was so positive and appreciative of the service that the fire departments put in.”

During the honors, the entire stadium comes to a halt, attentiveness fills the air and then the crowd erupts in appreciation. The players on both teams, the coaches and every fan tip their caps to the “Firefighter of the Night.”

“Sometimes when you do these things, it's just people going through the motions, but I felt the team really was appreciative and really were tipping their hats to me,” Wilcox explained. “It wasn't a showmanship thing. I really felt that they meant it. That means something to me.”

Another element that emphasizes the genuineness Wilcox described is that later in the game, “Dispatch” asks all first responders and educators to stand and for everyone to show their appreciation. As that happens, players from The Firefighters enter the stands and begin to shake as many hands of those fans who are standing as possible.

From my perspective, the atmosphere had that same level of authenticity and respect in the air.

The entertainment side

Before you even get into the game, the players join fans for the “Plaza Party,” where they are in their turnout gear interacting with fans and singing gear. In the background are The Firefighters drumline and calendar crew, who do more fan engagement throughout the night.

Before the game even starts, the Jumbotron plays different fire safety videos directed at the younger crowd, with the players as the subjects. Those videos continue throughout the game.

They also announce the overhead announcer as “Dispatch,” who maintains that persona throughout the night.

As The Firefighters are introduced, a fire engine appears near the entrance as the players run out toward home plate, where pyrotechnics go off.

Throughout the game, music like “Fire Burning” and “Girl on Fire” plays; tricks are done with ladders; and even the mini-games between innings that fans participate in have a firefighter-related theme. For example, a father and a son raced around the diamond, but at each base had to put on turnout gear, hit a plastic cup with water from a hoseline, and carry and climb a ladder.

What’s impressive about the stunts, games and antics is that they aren’t the same each weekend. A few carry through the season, but each game is a different experience.

“Everything they did, it was perfect,” Wilcox said. “They were so respectful. They honored people and still made it fun. I don't know how they did it, but it was amazing.”

Towards the end of the game, each team in the Banana Ball Championship League has a song that fills the stadium as the crowd sings along to it. The Firefighters' song is "Lean on Me," a song by Billy Withers that underscores the brotherhood and sisterhood in the fire service.

To me, this was the perfect culmination of everything that happened during the game. 

The Firefighters put on the perfect mix of entertainment and competitiveness. It brings attention and awareness to those who were or are firefighters, while also planting a seed of interest in the younger fans who attend the games.

It’s the same drill in every city that the team plays in. Different games, activities and shenanigans, but the same incredibly high level of authenticity, respect and genuineness.