Bananas making the most of NIL opportunities

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -On the baseball diamond, the Bananas are taking name, image and likeness literally- by printing players faces ON their jerseys.

Each jersey will feature a photo chosen by the player. The game worn jerseys will be auctioned off after their July 30 regular season finale, and then profits will be divided evenly between the players.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s obviously a new thing for collegiate athletes, so for the Bananas to give us some of the first chances to do this is pretty cool, and we’ll see where it goes from here,” said catcher Turner Pruitt.

Fans will have 48 hours after the game to purchase replica jerseys for their favorite player- $20 from each sale will go toward that individual player.

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time,” said Jared Orton, Bananas Team President in a press release. “This will be the first time that players’ faces can and will be on their own jersey. It’s historic for college athletes and it’s huge for the fans of these players.”

The team says they believe this will be the first time that fans can buy a jersey that was a collaboration between a team and a college athlete. Bananas players will also be the first college athletes in history to receive their royalties under the new NIL legislation.

The most popular jersey over the weekend will stay available for fans to purchase online and at the stadium until next season.

The Bananas regular season finale is Friday at Historic Grayson Stadium against their rival, the Macon Bacon. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.

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