What the Savannah Bananas have to do with race and baseball
From Code Switch by NPR
May 13, 2026 · 27 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the intersection of race and baseball through the lens of the Savannah Bananas and the Indianapolis Clowns.
Ever heard of the Savannah Bananas? They're a baseball team with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram — known as much for their dance routines and shenanigans as their actual baseball. Now their league, Banana Ball, has resurrected the Indianapolis Clowns, a Negro League team with a contentious history of racial minstrelsy. We chop it up with journalist Josh Levin, who followed the Clowns through their Banana Ball debut. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Guest: Josh Levin
Topics covered
- race
- baseball
- Negro League
- Savannah Bananas
- Banana Ball
- journalism
Keywords
- Savannah Bananas
- Indianapolis Clowns
- race
- baseball
- Banana Ball
- Negro League
- Josh Levin
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Savannah Bananas, Indianapolis Clowns, NPR
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