Banana Ball Brings Back the Indianapolis Clowns

The Savanah Bananas are expanding their circus of fun and flair. During its Banana Ball 2026 World Tour city announcement last night, the team unveiled two new clubs: the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns, reviving one of baseball’s most legendary barnstorming names.

The additions bring the Banana Ball League to six franchises, all set to compete for the league’s first official championship title at season’s end. But it’s the Clowns who steal the spotlight — a name steeped in baseball lore and entertainment heritage.

“When I first heard the story of the Indianapolis Clowns, I was inspired,” said Owner Jesse Cole. “They were the first baseball team to put entertainment first and would go to great lengths to bring their style of baseball to fans all over the country.”

The Clowns will be coached by Errick Foxx, who has been part of the Bananas coaching staff since 2018. Foxx will be joined by Primetime coach and former Philadelphia Phillies World Series champion and National League MVP, Ryan Howard.

The original Indianapolis Clowns were pioneers of showmanship, blending athleticism with comedy long before “sports entertainment” was a term. They were known as the "Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball" decades before the Bananas by showcasing legitimate stars and making fans laugh at the same time. Fans would see an imaginative pepper ball game, the hidden ball trick, and players dressed up as clowns or hula skirts.

Hank Aaron launched his professional career with the Clowns in 1952. He was a teenager when he arrived and still held the bat handle with his left hand on top of his right. That was corrected with the Clowns, and the young shortstop had a game where he went 6-9 and blasted one of his first home runs. Aaron’s stay was brief — just three months — before the Boston Braves purchased his contract for $10,000. Twenty-two years later, he became the all-time home run king when he swatted his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record.

The Clowns also broke barriers beyond the diamond. In 1953, Toni Stone became the first woman to play professional baseball when she joined the team. The following year, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson and Connie Morgan followed suit, while Nancy Miller made history as the first female umpire in professional baseball.

The roster also featured names like Reece “Goose” Tatum, who later dazzled with the Harlem Globetrotters, and future big leaguers John Wyatt, Paul Casanova, Hal King, and Choo-Choo Coleman. However, by the time Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, many Negro League teams were suffering from a lack of talent and low attendance at the ballpark.

Founded in 1929 (others say 1935) by Syd Pollock, the team evolved into one of the most beloved barnstorming clubs in the country. Before arriving in Indianapolis, the team was known as the Miami Giants, the Ethiopian Clowns, and the Cincinnati Clowns. The team joined the Negro American League in 1943 and split time between Cincinnati and Indianapolis in 1944 and 1945.

After settling in Indianapolis in 1946, the Clowns played competitive baseball during the season, capturing four Negro American League pennants between 1950 and 1954. However, just like the Bananas when they played in the Coastal Plain League, the Clowns barnstormed during the off-season.

The barnstorming season would be played in October and November. In 1950, the Clowns played 35 games in 13 cities against Jackie Robinson's All-Stars with a roster that included Roy Campanella and Larry Doby. The Clowns had a young Ernie Banks on their roster that campaign. The teams drew 125,000 fans and netted a profit of $200,000 that year.

The Clowns dropped out of the NAL in favor of an independent schedule that would allow them to develop players, providing them a chance to make the majors. It also allowed the team to take short trips between cities and allowed them to play in a variety of towns. However, Pollack's other focus was on entertainment at the ballpark, something that was becoming hard to do in the shrinking NAL.

"We want to concentrate more on having the team and its comedians get in more of their stunts such as 'shadowball', 'pepperball', and other fun-making specialties, including pantomime and laugh-provoking features."

By 1961, the Clowns were the last surviving Negro League team. The following year, the Clowns integrated, reduced its roster to 11 players, played a 75-game schedule, and began playing in smaller cities. Pollack sold the team in 1965, and the team played on, sometimes playing in large stadiums like Comiskey Park or small venues like Fairchild Park in Burlington, N.C. Satchel Paige even suited up for Funmakers in 1967 at the age of 61. By the early 1970s, the Clowns were still playing around 150 games a year, winning 80 percent of them.

In 1983, the club was purchased by Dave Clark and Sal Tombasco. Clark contracted polio as a child and played games on crutches. They were still barnstorming, but in much smaller markets and in front of crowds of around 60-75 people. The majority of the players were undrafted between the ages of 19 and 23, hoping to get noticed by a major league club. Allegedly, the New York Yankees had first rights on any players on the Clowns.

The cities included Leesburg and Orlando, Fla, Valdosta, Ga;, and Muscatine, Iowa, where the Clowns were now based. There was even an appearance at Comiskey Park and the Metrodome. They entertained fans with spray confetti cans, giant bats, a third-baseman sitting in a lawn chair, and a rolling wagon with a miniature toilet for the opposing pitcher. However, in 1989. The team unceremoniously ceased operations, ending 60 years of operations.

“The rebirth of the Indianapolis Clowns is an exciting and historically relevant tribute to the team that was at the forefront of combining baseball and entertainment,” said Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues. “Our partnership is a tremendous opportunity to not only entertain, but educate fans about the rich history of the Negro Leagues while paying homage to the team that helped influence Banana Ball.”

Interestingly, the Clowns haven’t called Indianapolis home since 1949. They played at Bush Stadium, then known as Victory Field, but were forced to take their entire 1950 season on the road following a dispute between team owner Syd Pollack and Abe Saperstein, the Globetrotters’ owner who controlled rights to Negro League games at the ballpark. Pollack, who received 25 percent of the gate after taxes, demanded an increase to 30 percent for the upcoming season. When Saperstein refused, the Clowns packed up and moved their home games to Offerman Stadium in Buffalo, New York.

They retained their old name, playing 6 games in Buffalo and 4 in Indianapolis. The local newspapers in Buffalo called them the Buffalo Clowns, but that was never the official name. They operated in Western New York until 1955, when the Clowns concentrated on a barnstorming schedule.

The revived Indianapolis Clowns will debut on February 27 in Anaheim, before making their long-awaited homecoming at Victory Field on May 15 and 16 against the Party Animals in a game that will be a home game for the many with Clowns gear in the stands. The season will conclude with the inaugural Banana Bowl is slated for Oct. 10, 2026.

The Indianapolis Clowns hope to carry on the tradition of the original club and honor its legacy by blending baseball and entertainment, while also educating fans along the way next season.

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Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com