Are the Savannah Banana's America's team?

9 hours ago 4

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🚨 Headlines

⚽️ PSG advances: Paris Saint-Germain embarrassed Real Madrid with a 4-0 shellacking to reach the Club World Cup Final, where they'll face Chelsea for the championship on Sunday.

🎾 Wimbledon semis are set: No. 1 Jannik Sinner (over No. 10 Ben Shelton) and No. 6 Novak Djokovic (over No. 22 Flavio Cobolli) made the men's semifinals; No. 8 Iga Świątek (over No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova) and Belinda Bencic (over No. 7 Mirra Andreeva) made the women's.

⚾️ Robots in Atlanta: Next week's All-Star Game will use the automated ball-strike challenge system that's already been tested in Triple-A and spring training, bringing robo umps one step closer to regular-season MLB games.

🏀 NBA extensions: The Thunder are signing Chet Holmgren to a five-year max extension that could be worth up to $250 million, and the Suns are signing Devin Booker to a two-year, $145 million max extension.

🏈 Manning pulls out of Giants bid: Eli Manning has changed his mind about buying a minority stake in the Giants. "It's too expensive for me," he said. "A 1% stake valued at $10 billion turns into a very big number."

🍌 The Savannah Bananas: America's team?

The Savannah Bananas have stepped into the entertainment void left behind by misguided major pro sports leagues — and they're dancing all the way to the bank.

From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee:

You probably know the basics of the Savannah Bananas, the minor-league team-turned-traveling extravaganza that combines baseball with theater, sport and performance art colliding in a frenetic, high-energy show.

Built by owners Jesse and Emily Cole on the bones of a collegiate summer league, the Bananas play "Banana Ball," a version of baseball with its own set of rules — whoever scores the most runs in an inning gets a point, for instance, and if a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out.

The Bananas have starred in documentaries, sold out minor-league stadiums, even hosted an ocean cruise. And they've almost certainly turned up on your social media feed, with players dancing to "The Greatest Showman" or "Thunderstruck" in between pitches.

Somewhere along the line, though, the Bananas broke containment. They graduated from minor-league parks to major-league venues, selling out legendary ballparks such as Fenway Park and Camden Yards.

During a recent weekend in Los Angeles, Bananas tickets sold on the secondary market for more than tickets to an actual Dodgers-Yankees World Series rematch.

And now, this cavalcade of dancing goofballs has leveled up again, selling out NFL stadiums. Banana Ball has invaded places such as Tampa, Nashville and Charlotte, selling out all the way up to the upper-deck light fixtures.

It's fair to wonder how in the world the Bananas could draw tens of thousands of people to a football stadium to watch baseball … provided, that is, you've never seen the Bananas in person.

Savannah Banana Malachi Mitchell flips in the air during pregame warm-ups. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

If your entire experience with the Bananas is a steady stream of goofy dances on your feed, it'd be easy to slag off the entire enterprise as silly and inconsequential.

But look a little deeper. We're in an era in which major sports franchises, in their perpetual quest to improve profitability and valuation, now treat their fans as either perpetual ATMs or irrelevant nuisances.

It's damn near impossible to follow your favorite team on a daily basis without shelling out hundreds in streaming service subscription costs. At every turn, teams, athletes and media all exploit fans' love and devotion for their own petty, selfish, short-sighted, profit-taking ends.

It's never been more expensive to be a fan, and it's never been less fulfilling, either. Is it any wonder, then, that a group of goofballs who are clearly enjoying themselves has found an unexpected connection with fans?

Everyone else, it seems, has lost the plot on what sports ought to be: a diversion and an inspiration. By both happy accident and deliberate design, the Bananas have stepped into this void left behind by misguided major professional sports leagues … and they're TikTok-dancing all the way to the bank.

Keep reading.

⛳️ The LPGA's season of parity

Minjee Lee plays a shot during Wednesday's pro-am. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The Evian Championship, the fourth of five LPGA majors, teed off today in France, where 132 golfers are competing for an $8 million purse. After the most wide-open start to a season in LPGA history, it's anyone's guess who'll come out on top.

Wild stat: Each of this year's 17 tournaments has had a different winner — the longest stretch to start a season in the LPGA's 75-year history.

2025 LPGA winners: 18 women (there was one team event) from eight countries have captured a title so far, including seven first-time winners.

🇰🇷 Kim A-lim (Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions)
🇺🇸 Yealimi Noh (Founders Cup)
🇺🇸 Angel Yin (Honda LPGA Thailand)
🇳🇿 Lydia Ko (HSBC Women's World Championship)
🇯🇵 Rio Takeda (Blue Bay LPGA)
🇰🇷 Kim Hyo-joo (Ford Championship)
🇸🇪 Madelene Sagström (T-Mobile Match Play)
🇸🇪 Ingrid Lindblad (JM Eagle LA Championship)
🇯🇵 Mao Saigo (Chevron Championship) … Major
🇰🇷 Ryu Hae-ran (Black Desert Championship)
🇹🇭 Atthaya Thitikul (Mizuho Americas Open)
🇯🇵 Chisato Iwai (Riviera Maya Open)
🇸🇪 Maja Stark (U.S. Women's Open) … Major
🇺🇸 Jennifer Kupcho (ShopRite LPGA Classic)
🇪🇸 Carlota Ciganda (Meijer LPGA Classic)
🇦🇺 Minjee Lee (KPMG Women's PGA Championship) … Major
🇰🇷 Im Jin-hee and Lee So-mi (Dow Championship)

Surprising omission: You may notice that Nelly Korda of all people is not listed above. The world No. 1 was unstoppable last year, winning seven tournaments with a Scottie Scheffler-like run of dominance, but has yet to get her first win of 2025. It should only be a matter of time before she breaks through, though, considering her peripheral stats are actually better than a year ago.

Korda through 10 starts last year: 2.37 shots gained per round, 70.0 scoring average, 6 wins
Korda through 10 starts this year: 2.47 shots gained per round, 69.6 scoring average, 0 wins

Looking ahead: LPGA enters pivotal three-week European stretch

🏈 The 25 best teams of the quarter century

Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab is spending this week looking back at the NFL's last 25 years. He's already covered the All-Quarter Century Team and the best 25 draft picks since 2000; today, it's the 25 greatest teams of the quarter century.

Top 25 teams since 2000: This is, of course, not merely a list of the 25 Super Bowl champions this century; some of the best teams didn't even reach the big game, much less win it.* Such is life in the NFL's hyper-competitive, one-and-done playoff format.

2007 Patriots: 16-0 (lost Super Bowl XLII)
2019 Chiefs: 12-4 (won Super Bowl LIV)
2016 Patriots: 14-2 (won Super Bowl LI)
2004 Patriots: 14-2 (won Super Bowl XXXIX)
2013 Seahawks: 13-3 (won Super Bowl XLVIII)
2022 Chiefs: 14-3 (won Super Bowl LVII)
2014 Patriots: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XLIX)
2024 Eagles: 14-3 (won Super Bowl LIX)
2019 Ravens: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round)
2011 Packers: 15-1 (lost in Divisional Round)
2000 Ravens: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XXXV)
2017 Eagles: 13-3 (won Super Bowl LII)
2010 Packers: 10-6 (won Super Bowl XLV)
2014 Seahawks: 12-4 (lost Super Bowl XLIX)
2001 Rams: 14-2 (lost Super Bowl XXXVI)
2013 Broncos: 13-3 (lost Super Bowl XLVIII)
2008 Steelers: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XLIII)
2005 Colts: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round)
2002 Buccaneers: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XXXVII)
2006 Chargers: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round)
2024 Lions: 15-2 (lost in Divisional Round)
2009 Saints: 13-3 (won Super Bowl XLIV)
2020 Buccaneers: 11-5 (won Super Bowl LV)
2015 Panthers: 15-1 (lost Super Bowl 50)
2022 Bills: 13-3 (lost in Divisional Round)

*Wild stat: 10 teams this century have outscored their opponents in the regular season by at least 200 points — and not a single one of them went on to win the Super Bowl. The full list, which includes six of the teams above: 2001 Rams, 2007 Patriots, 2010 Patriots, 2011 Saints, 2011 Packers, 2012 Patriots, 2013 Broncos, 2019 Ravens, 2023 Ravens, 2024 Lions.

🏀 NBA power rankings: Offseason edition

Now that the NBA's early free agency rush has slowed to a trickle, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach takes stock of the league with his first offseason conference power rankings.

The East is wide open:

Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum are out after rupturing their Achilles. Giannis Antetokounmpo's commitment to the Bucks remains in some doubt. The Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown. Meanwhile, the Hawks and Magic made upgrades to enter the fray as fringe contenders. The East will look a lot different this year. Maybe not better. Probably worse. But definitely a lot different.

The West is stacked again:

The 68-win reigning champion Thunder are back — with reinforcements. The No. 2-seeded Rockets added Kevin Durant. The Nuggets retooled around Nikola Jokić. Rising superstar Anthony Edwards looks to take his next step for the Timberwolves. Three veteran-led teams still reside in California's two biggest cities. And good teams will miss the playoffs. Only one team is truly tanking.

📺 Watchlist: Thursday, July 10

Sabalenka and Anisimova after their French Open match earlier this year, which Sabalenka won. (Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)

🎾 Wimbledon, Semifinals | ESPN

The final four women take Centre Court today at the All England Club. First, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 13 Amanda Anisimova (8:30am ET), who leads their all-time series, 5-3. Then it's No. 8 Iga Świątek, in her ninth major semifinal, against Belinda Bencic, in her second (9:40am).

⛳️ Amundi Evian Championship | 6am, Golf

The fourth of five women's majors tees off today in Evian-les-Bains, France, where 132 golfers will compete for an $8 million purse.

More to watch:

⛳️ Golf: Scottish Open (2am, ESPN+; 11am, Golf) … Round 1 at The Renaissance Club teed off while you were sleeping.
🚴 Tour de France: Stage 6 (6:35am, Peacock) … The sixth stage travels 125 miles from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, with over two miles of elevation gain and six categorized climbs.
⚽️ Women's Euros: Finland vs. Switzerland (3pm, Fox); Norway vs. Iceland (3pm, FS1) … Group A action in Switzerland.

Today's full slate →

⚽️ World Cup trivia

Brandi Chastain. Iconic. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

26 years ago today, the USWNT won the 1999 Women's World Cup in a penalty kick shootout at the Rose Bowl.

Question: Which country did they beat?

Answer at the bottom.

📸 Photo finish

Team India huddles during their test cricket match against England.

Trivia answer: China

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