The Savannah Bananas Built a Baseball Tailgate — And It's Changing Live Events | Brett Loftis

Three million people are on the waitlist. The K-Club is the only way to guarantee your spot. And Brett Loftis is the 24-year-old broadcast entertainer who gets to be in the middle of it all — as the voice and energy of the Texas Tailgaters in Banana Ball's first year of having a full six-team league.

Brett joins Luke to break down what the Texas Tailgaters are, what Banana Ball looks like to someone who's never seen it, how a kid from the Carolinas auditioned in a cowboy hat, and what it feels like to be part of an organization that had more people on its waitlist than most US states have residents.

What we cover: What are the Texas Tailgaters and where do they fit in Banana Ball · What Banana Ball looks like to a first-time viewer · How Brett got the job — audition tape and a cowboy hat · The Texas Tailgaters' first-year identity and what sets them apart · How to get tickets (3M waitlist, K-Club is the move) · The K-Club name explained (potassium on the periodic table is K) · Brett's vision for what Banana Ball becomes

Transcript

Intro

Luke 0:00

Welcome back to the Tailgate Connect podcast. I'm your host, Luke Lorde, with Tailgate and Talent. I love tailgating, and I'm so excited with our next guest. He is the broadcast entertainer of the Texas Tailgators. Brett Loftus is going to be hanging out with us and talking all things Texas Tailgators, learning more about the Stefana bananas and all of the fun stuff in these sold-out stadiums across the country that we're going to blow your mind with some of these numbers. Stay tuned to learn more about this now. All right, welcome back to the Tailgate Connect podcast. Your home for everything tailgating. And today we have a very special guest with us. We have Brett Loftus from the Texas Tailgators, the broadcast entertainer for the Texas Tailgators. Brett, welcome to the most appropriate podcast you've probably ever been on, right?

Brett 1:19

Yeah, probably so. Anything that's got tailgating in the name, I think uh I think I'd be fine with being attached to it, Luke. Yeah, I appreciate you having me on, a fellow Palmother State native myself. Uh I appreciate you having me on here.

Luke 1:32

No doubt, no doubt. So, I mean, I get let's talk a little bit about like just right off the jump, like Texas Tailgator. So this is this is year one, right, for the team. And so it and you got you got the phone call earlier this year and it said, hey, Brett, we want you to be a part of this. We want you to be our broadcast entertainer for the Texas Tailgators. What were your like what were your initial thoughts like whenever that phone call or email came through and they were like offering it to you?

What are the Texas Tailgaters? The Banana Ball breakdown

Brett 1:58

Yeah, you know, it was a process. You know, I started a process in December. I actually did my audition tapes in a cowboy hat, had no idea who the Texas Tailgators were. I just knew I was applying for the Savannah Bananas to be a broadcast entertainer. And then, you know, went through the process of what I went through. And then, you know, when they they uh they called me and and sent me over a job offer, you know, I knew it was a pretty big deal. Uh it felt like kind of like a big break in this industry because as you know, Luke, it's not a whole lot of those that come. And yeah, I feel blessed and fortunate that that mine has been able to come at 24. Um, and then you start to think about the brand itself, right? Like, I mean, I've you know telegated my whole life, whether it's been at a NASCAR race or college football game or college baseball game or whatever that may be. So um I knew I fit the brand there, and then Texas just representing, you know, the the South in general, and obviously our long star staked there. And you know, I just felt like it was a brand I really connected with off-rip, and and you know, obviously my superiors here in Banaland thought much of the same. And uh it was it was just a blessing, and I was pretty blown away.

"Greatest pregame in sports" — currently 4 teams going to 6

Luke 3:01

I can I can only imagine. And I feel like I might have jumped in here too fast. Let's rewind just for a second. For those that that don't know, and again, if you don't know, it's like where you've been, but like like what what who are the Texas Tailgators? Like, why are they relevant? Why are they why are they a team that we're talking about aside from just the name of the Tailgators? Give us a little breakdown about that.

Brett 3:21

Well, they call us the greatest pregame in sports. Um, and we are one of the four teams currently. Uh, we'll be one of the six teams next year in Bananaball. Um, you've probably heard of the Savannah Bananas, and that's kind of you know the team that started it all, started Bananaball. You have the party animals, you have the firefighters, uh, the Texas Tailgators, and then like I said, next year we'll have two new teams. So um we'll have a league in that next year. So yeah, the Texas Tailgators, man, you know, we represent the state of Texas in Bananaball. Um, I think it's neat because us and the bananas are the only two teams who have a location tied to us. Um so it's it's kind of related in that. And then you also, you know, the party animals are this, you know, bunch. It's in your face. They like to party, they like to do all this stuff, they're rough, you know, all this stuff. And then you have us. We're just a tailgate buddy. You know, that's just what we are. But then we just happen to play banana ball, you know, the most entertaining sport, in my opinion, in the world, not just our country and the world, um, but it's also a highly competitive sport as well. And, you know, the Texas tailgators being in our first year, it's just it's a it's a blessing to find, you know, what our brand is. I feel like we've been able to find that. And obviously we knew what the blueprint was, but continuing to go along and find that and and really getting to find our place in Banana Ball and just being just really blessed to be a part of that whole journey with these guys.

Luke 4:36

No doubt, no doubt. So I I watched a recent game that that y'all played against those Savannah Bananas, and I'll be honest because I think that's the first time I've seen like the team play, and I was, you know, captivated. And so for I I guess for those that have never watched uh, you know, a Savannah Bananas game or Texas Tailgators game, like it's a little bit different, right, than like your average like Major League Baseball experience. How would you describe that to the a fan that's never watched a game, what that kind of looks like?

Banana Ball has detractors — how to respond

Brett 5:06

Uh yeah, if uh you know, a lot of people, we have a lot of detractors, Luke. Um, I've talked about it publicly, and our owner Jesse Cole talks about it a lot. We we have a lot of detractors um of people who say, you know, you shouldn't be dancing on a baseball diamond. You shouldn't be having, you know, guys doing these things and wigs and all this other stuff. You're probably thinking, Brett, if I've never heard of this, how do I not know? So let me break down banana ball to you. Banana ball is the most entertaining sport in the world. It's baseball, but just entertaining and fun. You have guys dancing, you have walk-ups, you have 11 different sets of 11 different rules, set of rules that are different from baseball. And you play on a two-hour time clock, and you have guys steady moving, it's it's it's fast paced, it's you know, you you win a point at the end of every inning. You just have to win the inning. And then the ninth inning, all runs count as points, right? It's just it's a spin on baseball, but it's our own sport. And and as Biko Stal, the bananas broadcaster always likes to call it, uh, banana ball is the uh, I forget the correct term that he uses, but it's basically the uh the dark sheep, maybe, maybe not dark sheep be the right term, but it's the the you know more fun version of baseball. So um, you know, we've caught a lot of traction over the past few years, you know, played on ESPN this year, uh, be playing on, you know, true TV this year. And I I think a big misconception about our sport is it's not competitive and that it's rigged. You know, we always get comparisons to the Harlem Globetrotters, um, and don't necessarily like those because the Savannah Bananas lose. Um the the party animals lose. Uh the Texas Tilgators we lose, the firefighters lose. But also on the flip side of that, all four of those teams win. It's a highly competitive sport, and that's why we're aiming to go towards a league uh in 2026. So um there's so many things I could say to describe it, but I would basically say it's the most entertaining form of baseball that you'll ever watch. Um, and it'll keep you, it'll keep your eyes locked on it too.

Luke 7:07

So help help me with this. Uh some other people they heard you say runs versus like points. Like how how does all that mesh up to figure out who runs versus points? How do you figure out who wins the game?

Walk-off every inning — if the away team scores, inning is over

Brett 7:18

Well, you get to walk off every inning, right? So if the Texas Tailgators, we've been the away team the entire year, so we can't walk off an inning as the away team, but the bat bananas who have been the home team the whole year. If the Tailgators go out and score three runs in the top of an inning, all the bananas have to go do is score four runs in the home half of an inning, and they win the points for that inning. So in theory, you could have an 18 to 17 inning with runs go, and it would be one to nothing at the end of that inning. Your team gets one point. Um, so you know, Jesse Cole, our owner, he talks about a lot about how, you know, the game is never out of hand. So when you make it to that ninth inning, even if it's eight to nothing, which I've never seen, but it could be eight to nothing in the game of banana ball, which is possible. The away team, or the team that's trailing, I should say, still has a chance to win the ballgame because then in the ninth inning, every run then counts as a point. So banana ball is different in the way that you know you only have runs that are the only way you can score in regular baseball versus in banana ball. You get a point for every inning, whoever scores the most runs in the inning, and then once you make it to the ninth inning, every run will then count as a point. So that's that's one of my favorite things about it is that you know you could go out and lose an inning eight to one and it doesn't matter. It's move on to the next inning. We we actually had a game this year. We won an inning eight to one and lost the game. Lost the game because, you know, it was great to have that big inning that you had, but you only got one point for that. So um it's a it's a it's an interesting sport. It's the most, you know, it's the most entertaining sport. Like I said, I'll probably say it again. Uh I think in this world and and you know, it's the the greatest, the greatest, uh, greatest show in sports as well.

Former MLB players keep coming back — it's competitive

Luke 8:59

So I I I appreciate that, but I think some people that are that are new to it, like that help connect the dots as to how the scoring and the runs work out there. So you mentioned a little bit earlier, you you mentioned the naysayers, the people like, oh, you know, you know, the the epitome of baseball is is class and sportsmanship and not dancing or wearing capes or doing flips in the backfield, whatever you want to say. So like how do you refute that for those like real purists? Can you read, like, can you reach them? Is it a matter of time, or you feel like that's not the demographic that you're going after?

You could tell me it's 3 mph pitches — still fun

Brett 9:34

I think we can reach them. I I think it's it's no different that, you know, when you look at banana ball, and you hear I hear people say this all the time, right? I I think my mother is a prime example of it. People that don't like sports like banana ball because it's a show, right? While it is a sport, it is also the greatest show in sports. But then for the detractors of your baseball purists who don't like the dancing and don't like the back flips and don't like the trick plays and maybe don't like other things that we do, I think the way that you get that fan is with the competitive factor. Because if you like baseball, if you like football, if you like basketball, if you like any of your regular traditional sports, if you're a sports fan in general, you have this competitive nature, this yearning for competitiveness. And when you watch something on your television saying, when you watch a game, the thing that you're most excited to watch is two teams or two people, if it's an individual sport, or 40 race cars like myself on the NASCAR track on Sunday, you like the competitive nature of it. And but Adible is highly competitive. I mean, these guys care um so much about winning. These guys care so much. And I think that that's how you tap into that fan base. I think that's why we have gained the traction that we've gotten in in our young sports history because while it is entertaining, while you know we do have, you know, these amazing athletes doing backflip catches, and we got these guys who can hit balls 450 feet, but then they can also choreograph a dance to the latest JoJo Siwa song and lip sync it coming up to the plate, right? Like it's it's amazing stuff. But at the end of the day, the guy can choreograph it. And the guy can sing it, and he can do it with no shirt on, and he can have a wig on, and then he can step in the right-handed batter's box and it'll blow 450 feet. Like, you you you cannot script the outcome of the game of baseball. So people say that our game is scripted. I hate to hear that. You can't you can't script baseball. Like, Luke, if I told you I was gonna throw you three 60 mile an hour, mile per hour fastballs, and I would look at you and say, you're gonna hit one of these out because we've got to script you a home run right here. Unless you can hit a home run, you're not gonna be able to hit a home run. And even if you know what's coming, you may not be able to hit a home run. So the competitive nature of our game, I think is the catalyst to tap into that baseball purist. And listen, there's still, there's always gonna be people that hate on you. You're always gonna have detractors when you're doing something right. When you have a big, large group of supporters, you're gonna have some people that don't like it as much. But I think for the people that would take time to sit down and watch it and be able to absorb and like the entertainment stuff, because at the end of the day, I just think our entertainment's great. I and I get it. But there's something for everybody when it comes to that. But the competitive aspect of it for your traditional sports fan, I think that is what could really win them over.

Luke 12:16

I mean, I make the joke. You could tell me it's say, hey, Luke, I'm throwing you three 60 mile an hour pitches. Don't worry. I'm probably whiffing on all of them because I am not a baseball player. So there's your there's your script right there for it. But and I know you and I have talked in the past too about whenever you're doing something different and you're starting to get traction and like, you know, rising a little bit, there are going to be those proverbial haters. But to me, that also means you're doing something right. You're doing something right. If they're not talking, then it's like, maybe I'm not doing, maybe I'm not making the waves I thought I was doing, or like changing the whole landscape of baseball. So let me ask you, I don't know if you know this number off the top of your head or a ballpark for it. It just came to me. I'm like, do you know the average attendance or how many attendees like you all have had, like just in the banana ball organization for 2025?

What separates the Texas Tailgaters from other teams?

Brett 13:10

I don't know our total amounts of tickets purchased, but we sell out everywhere we go. So whatever the whatever the max capacity is, whether it's a minor league ballpark or it's at Clemson where they had 81,000 seats, we sell out everywhere we go. So um, that's the coolest thing too, I think for me is like when you know you're going somewhere. Like I worked in collegiate summer leagues, I went to D3 School. And you know, you're doing the broadcast for the people at home, for the people that can't be there, right? So, but when you show up to a ballpark and there's 50 people there, it's kind of hard to get up for that game. Versus now, like that's not even something I have to think about, right? Like when I'm when we walked into Citizens Bank Park and we're on ESPN and there's 45,000 people in there, it's like my goodness. And that's two straight signs, right? It's it's 90,000 people. Um, so that's special. So yeah, I don't know what our what our total number of attendants would be this year, but I know we sell out and we have sold out everywhere we go, and we will sell out everywhere we go for the rest of the year.

Luke 14:12

So I was going somewhere with this. So let me let me ask you another question, though, as I slide into this part of it too. Who do you believe your biggest competitor is?

Former MLB players are the draw

Brett 14:21

Mmm, that's a good question. I I would say, and I don't say this from an arrogance standpoint. I say this, I don't really know of I don't know. I I'm not gonna say something that would come off as prideful or arrogant because I don't want to get clipped on that. But I mean, I I I just I know there's there's other leagues out there and other other entities in some sports that have tried to do something similar, but I just think Jesse Cole, like I said, our owner, I just think he's he's done something with what we have here that is so special and unique. And and I love something I seen he put on social media the other day. He was talking to the media and talking about Major League Baseball, about how our sport, we're Major League Baseball is always gonna have the greatest baseball players in the world. But we can have the most entertaining baseball players in the world. And that doesn't mean we're rivaling Major League Baseball. That doesn't mean that we're going up against Major League Baseball, right? Like I still love Major League Baseball, still love my line of Braves. I'm still gonna watch Major League Baseball. But on the flip side of that, you look at UFC and boxing, was the analogy that he used. And how UFC came along and is just different than boxing. Doesn't mean that they're, you know, necessarily better or worse. You know, like if you like mixed martial arts, you like guys to kick people upside the head, that might be for you. If you're more of just a traditional, you know, jab jab, you know, uppercut type of guy and guys go at it for 12 rounds, boxing's for you, right? And they kind of elevate each other in that aspect because they're two of the same entity, but they're so different at the same time. Now I think when you look at Major League Baseball and you look at us, we're playing in big league stadiums. And when we go into these big league stadiums, they're nice to us. Um, we're nice to them. We love being there. There's there's no animosity. I see stuff on social media sometimes talking about how the Savannah Bananas are ruining the sport of baseball or how they're gonna try to join Major League Baseball or any of this. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's it's not a competitive thing. It's uh these two things are so different in the same entity that they almost support each other, right? Um it kind of goes back to your demographics thing. Maybe we're never gonna tap into that full demographic. I think we will because we're competitive. Um, but I think it it's kind of like that. So to go back to a question, I I don't, I don't know if if there would be a competitor um to us. I mean, every industry has one, inevitably. Um it's just no different than when you go back to the industrial revolution in our country. Like everybody had a competitor, even going all the way back there. Um, but you know, and again, I don't I don't want that to sound prideful because I know there are other companies and other people who are doing certain things, but um, for what we do and and and the people that we have as well as they're able to do it, um, I I I'm not sure, Luke. And again, I don't say that pridefully. I I truthfully don't. I just I don't know if we have one right now.

What's Brett's favorite game day moment?

Philadelphia Citizens Bank Park on ESPN

Luke 17:10

No, no, I I I think your answer was amazing because I where I was going with this too, because I know there's people it's like, oh, well, the uh the Savannah League and the Major League Baseball, they're button heads and they're seeing who can be better, and one's gonna go under, the other one's gonna make. I I I don't see that. And so I just wanted to get your opinion on it. And it sounds like, you know, we're aligned with how we think um in regards to the fact that it's gonna it can be complimentary. It can bring more focus just on the general sport of baseball as a whole, which probably in the long run helps everybody involved in that particular sport. So love it.

Brett 17:42

Well, you look at you look at our sport when we go and play in these stadiums. We have former major leaguers who come back and play in our games. I mean, we were in Cincinnati this year, and the mayor Sean Casey came, and Todd Frazier came. We're in Philly this year, St. Victorino was there. You look at when the bananas played the firefighters in Baltimore, Nick Mark Caicos was there. Nick Marcaicos. If you know Nick Marcaicus, the least flamboyant Major League Baseball player of all time, the guy never even hardly smiled. And he put on a Savannah Bananas uniform and went and played for the bananas when they played in Baltimore at Camden Yards. So you're spot on there. We have big league players, former big league players who come and play with us. You know, Brock Holt was in Boston, Bill Lee was in. I mean, if I went down the list, that would be the entire podcast within itself about all the former big leaguers that come and play with us. So you're spot on there. It it is elevating each other. And I think the the the one wants to see the other one do well. Because I it Major League Baseball for most of us and college baseball is where we gained our love for baseball. If if I wouldn't have went to the Atlanta Braves games growing up, and if I wouldn't have, you know, grown up on Jack Leggett at Clemson, then I I wouldn't be here in Banatabol right now because that's where I found my love for baseball, right? And now I'm in bananas. So I I think it's still much of the same 100%. The other is still elevating the other one. And I I don't think I don't think it's a it's a competitive factor at all. And not at all.

Philadelphia Citizens Bank Park moment was top of year

Luke 19:02

For sure, for sure. Now I I appreciate that response. And now I gotta hit you with probably the most important question that we're gonna talk about today. Is there tailgating before the Texas tailgators play? I need to know. Sure is.

Brett 19:17

I I think it's been one of my favorite moments of the whole year. Uh, Philadelphia, Citizens Bank Park, playing on ESPN. First time Texas Tailgators making a national television debut. And we go out, uh, Luke, I don't know if you've ever been to the ballpark district in Philly, but they have the Wells Fargo Center, they have Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park. So the home of the Flyers and the Sixers, the home of the Eagles, and the home of the Phillies, all just right there. I mean, it's just right there. And then Old Veterans Stadium is where most of the tailgating goes on in those parking lots. Man, let me tell you, there have been a lot of tailgates in the Southeast. And then, you know, those people in Philly know how to tailgate, man. And uh, you know, they were out there tailgating our games. There's obviously gonna be a lot of that. Uh in September, we're going our headliner tour in Texas. A lot of tailgating's gonna go on. Um, but yeah, I mean, it's it's one of the more exciting things. I I never played, Luke. I know you're big into the games at tailgates, and you know, you're the cornhole champion of the universe.

Luke 20:20

Have you ever played hockey at a tailgate? Um, one time, but it was actually at a hockey game, and it was a hockey tailgating game that I brought to.

Brett 20:29

Yeah, this was at a banana ball game. Guys out here has a sliding, I don't know what it was, but he had a net, he had a stick and a puck, and there was a little sliding thing with the puck you had to get in the net. I did not get in the net. One of our pitchers did. Um, but I was just blown away by that. I mean, there was wings out there, you had your traditional tailgate tools, you know, your hot dogs and all that good stuff. But those people in Philadelphia, man, they they know how to tailgate. And that's been my probably my favorite tailgate I went to this year uh before one of our games.

Pregame festivities — lots happening in Texas especially

Luke 20:58

So, does any of the team come out for the tailgate before? Like, is that part of it, or are they really focused on getting everything ready for game time and they're not interacting in the pregame festivities?

Brett 21:09

Yeah, pre-game festivities, like I said, the the the tailgating aspect of that, we're gonna do a lot of that in Texas, but they interact every pregame. So kind of standard run of the day uh for one of our games is the guys will come out and sign uh roughly at about when the when the when the rope drops for the plaza party. So depending on what kind of stadium we're in, that differs. So if we're in a minor league ballpark, uh the rope drops at 3.30. So then they'll go out and sign at 3.30 or 4 if we're in a major league ballpark a little bit earlier than that, so they could go out and sign at 2 or 2 30, uh, maybe even 3 o'clock. So they'll go out and sign in the plaza, uh maybe even play a little cornhole, you know, play a little. There's this other game they got with the with the frisbee, and you try to throw it in. I'm blanking on it. Can jam. Can jam. There it is. There it is. Uh so you know, you got all those games, and then you go inside, and we have Have what we call VIB, which usually starts at around 345 in a big league park, 445 in a minor league park. And we'll we'll go in there and you can purchase a ticket, come on the field, get to talk to us, more of an individualized experience, and you get to get on the field, you know, sign for them there. And then from there, you kind of go in your pregame routine, right? Whatever that may be, you know, go and warm up, and you know, guys will still sign pregames. So, yeah, whether it be pregating, pre-gaming, pregaming, tailgating activities or not, similar. Yeah, yeah, 100%. Guys are always interacting with the fans and always signing and you know, getting to meet people, which I think is also one of the coolest things that we do because you know, when you go to other professional sporting events, and you know, if I'm a massive Aaron Judge fan, right? I I love Aaron Judge. That is my guy. And I want to go to the Yankees game and I want to meet Aaron Judge. I got a 99 jersey on and all, and I got a ball for him to sign. What is the likelihood that I get to meet Aaron Judge? 5%? Maybe it's being generous? Most likely. It's being generous. If I'm a Savannah Bananas fan and I want to go meet Robert Anthony Cruz, I want to meet Coach Rack. Coach Rack is my guy. Likelihood that I get to meet him is pretty high. If I get there early enough when the rope drops, and I get there and I get to sign, or I buy a VIB ticket, or, you know, I get down, like the the it's pretty high. If if if you want to go meet him, you're going to be able to meet him. So I think that's also kind of what separates us as well. You know, you know, the name of our company is Fans First Entertainment. And I think that, again, that's what really separates us too, is always being fanatical about the fan. And I think that even goes with our tailgates, with the Texas Tailgators, but also just with all four of our banana ball teams in general.

Luke 23:45

No, I mean, I think that's amazing, especially from like a kid's aspect. I mean, even as an adult, sometimes we get giddied if we if we meet somebody famous or one of our favorite players, right? But again, just like building the brand and making coaches and players like readily available, I th I think it's an amazing thing y'all would have been in regards to that too. So speaking of amazing, and I know we're still kind of early on in the season, what would you say the most amazing moment so far in your journey with the Texas Tailgators has been?

Silly equals fun — let's go with that

Brett 24:13

Um, I'll give you a banana ball one and then I'll give you a personal one. Um, I don't know in my broadcasting career, there's been some special moments that I've been able to be on the mic for or be in the ballpark a part of the broadcast. But this was one when we won our first team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was on the field and doing my sideline stuff. We go to showdowns, which for those that don't know about banana ball, you go to extra innings in regular baseball. If it's tied at the end of nine innings in banana ball, you go to something called showdowns. So it's a round. Um you have a hitter, a pitcher, and a fielder in round one trying to get inside the park on run. No different than when you played with your buddies or your dad or whomever growing up. Round two, it's just the pitcher, the catcher, and the hitter. And then round three, it's the bases loaded. Fielder comes back out with the pitcher and the catcher, and then round three on the same rule. So we go to showdowns here. And we get a run in the top half of the inning, bottom half of the inning. First pitch. First pitch. Mind you, we lost the night before in showdowns. Walk off grind slam home run. Next day, game two, second every game in the history of Texas Helga. Guy hits a ball foul. But a fan catches. But at a ball means that's an out. And so fan called our final out of our first ever win in Albuquerque, New Mexico. All of our guys went into the stands down the left field line, grabbed him out of the stands. This young man who was about 11 years old, grabbed him out of the stands, celebrated with him. We interviewed him. I interviewed him on the broadcast. The whole team was around him. That was one of those moments, man, where you don't come down from for a long time. Just the first win in our history, and it was so it was it was just bananable. I mean, nutshell. I mean, we go to showdowns, a fan catches the foul ball, it's a young boy, we get to interview him on the broadcast, and he's now a legend in the history of the Texas Tailgames. And that was a special. The other, the other one, which is pretty funny that my mother does not like is this is actually. This is this has happened twice this year. So, Reno, Nevada, the next weekend. I go to breakfast with the Party Animals broadcaster. His name is Drake Tole. Been a very big influence and been very good to me since I moved down here. Drake and I, uh we've been in the booth a good bit here the past few weeks as well. I love working with him. And we go to breakfast, and we we we have um, we do a lot of stuff with the entertainment as well, as far as in in-game stuff goes, and we're kind of talking over that. And he goes, Yeah, Brett, pre-game, they're having something called the mascot care. And since you guys haven't officially unveiled your mascot yet, I volunteered you for that. So I look at him and I said, Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. I don't I don't say no to anything. Absolutely, Drake. He said, the mascot care. I said, okay, so Farty is the mascot for the party animals. Big monkey wears a banana. He he he he fart or poots, if that's not politically correct to use. And um so I'm like, okay. He said, the mascot carry, sends it for a third time. I said, Drake, what what is the mascot carry? He said, okay. He said, the players are gonna lift you up and have a race. So they're gonna do what? Say yeah. So I found myself in a moment, microphone in hand, racing Farty, as the players of the party animals are carrying Farty, and the players of the Texas Tailgators carrying me. And so we lost that day. What? We did a venge that win in Lehigh Valley uh July the 5th. We did the broadcaster entertainer carry where Drake and I were carried. Uh he was carried by the party hunters, I was carried by the Tailgators, and we won. And Drake was dropped about 10 feet from home plate. And I seen my mother the next week in Salem, Virginia. She she and my uh my dad came came to the games. We went out and we're just talking. She goes, Brett, I don't want you doing that anymore. I said, Okay, Baba, okay, but that's just I think that's just those two stories, man. So special. I mean, just getting to be a part of a moment like that, of a win, and just how cool that was for our sport, how cool that was for our team and our brand. And then also just the I don't know if silly is the right word, but just some of the other things that we get to do that may scare your mother watching back home 3,000 miles away.

Brett's favorite tailgate food — wings, ribs, brisket, jalapeño poppers

But what's the ONE thing?

Luke 28:34

Now I believe the word silly equals fun, right? And that's what it's all about. Right? So silly, fun, whatever we want to plug in there. All right, let's get to let's get to know you a little bit better now in the back half of this interview. Uh, we're gonna bring that tailgatey vibe in here. So you're at a tailgate, you're not working, you're just enjoying uh a fall evening or a fall day like at a Southeastern conference game. What are you going to be eating? What is the food of choice? You can have anything on game day at the tailgate party. That's good.

Brett 29:04

That's oh man, that's good. So I'm gonna have I'm gonna have a little grill, right? And I don't want to be the one cooking here, okay? But if I have to, I will. We're gonna take some wings, a little lemon pepper dry rub, okay? I'm gonna need some kind of dipping sauce to go with that. Maybe a ranch. Maybe we just if it's juicy enough, we can just go lemon pepper dry rub wings just straight into the government, okay? Now, what I also need at a tailgate, you know, I like hot dogs, but that's not a necessity for me. I need hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers to be specific here at the tailgate, okay? Need a nice water or soda, you know. If you like an adult beverage, you know, that's that's for you. Um and then, you know, Luke, this may sound wild to you. This may sound crazy, may sound off the wall to you. I like wild. A nice melon, like a honeydew or a cantaloupe or a watermelon at a tailgate, does something to me. And then as as we as we go into the we go into the boiling, we come out, nothing beats even the leftover remnants of all that food. But then you got some hot pizza there. That's that's just an ideal tailgate for me. Throwing a little nachos as well, maybe. Sounds like a great day. Doesn't sound like the best day for my stomach on Sunday, but it does sound like a great day on Saturday. No, it's your day.

Would dabble on a non-game day

Luke 30:27

I'm like, hey Brett, tell me your favorite food. He's like, all right, well, we're gonna start with wings, then we're gonna go to the bacon cheeseburgers, then we get the melons going, then we get the nachos flowing, then we get the hot pizza going. So he hit the gamut of everything out there for a great for a great full full spread at a tailgating party. So uh you kind of you might have answered this question, but I'll just make sure because the next question was what's gonna be in your cup while you're eating that cheeseburger, that pizza? What would be your normal thing you would drink at a tailgating party?

Drink more water at tailgates

Brett 30:56

You know, I don't drink a whole lot of anything other than caffeine and water. But I may, I may dabble, you know, on a nice fall afternoon, strawberry lemonade really hits the spot. So maybe, maybe, maybe a strawberry lemonade, but probably gonna be some water. I'm big on my hydration, man. So even if it's it, even if it's in a leisurely spot, just give me some good old, as Bobby Boucher says, some high quality H2O, and I'll be I'll be good to go. I'll be good to go. I'm very vanilla in that aspect. I love my water.

Luke 31:29

Excellent. I should probably drink more water at tailgating parties too. I know my mom would tell me that, right, if she was uh coaching me up with some of this stuff, but it's all good. All right, so you had to tailgate, you got your food, you got your drink. What's your favorite game? What's your favorite game? If you can pick any tailgating game that you've ever seen or played, what are you gonna play?

Skee ball + beer pong + cornhole = Ramps

Brett 31:50

I mean, we we got this new one this year that I've really enjoyed playing because it's been a challenge. You're gonna have to help me out here. It's cornhole, but it's not cornhole. You had a like a like a ski ball. Rams, right? It's ramp.

Love it

Luke 32:01

So skee ball with a beer pong and cornhole element all rolled in one.

Brett 32:05

Love it. Love it. Okay, I love it. I also love just playing good old backyard football if I'm in a if I'm at a football tail game. Run a little 707, you know, you're supposed to be playing two-hand tag, but the boys starting to rough you up a little bit. I I always love that one growing up too, just playing 707 football. But Rams, that has been one that uh one of our pitchers got sent to him as a gift this year. And we've been playing that at some of the pregame parties. So that's one, that's one I'm starting to really get into. Obviously, we played cornhole a lot growing up, uh, played Pong, all that good stuff. But Rams was, I really enjoyed playing that game.

Luke 32:38

No, it's it's funny. I was actually, I I know the owner of the Rams game, and he was like, man, because I messed him. I was like, man, I saw the Texas Tail game just playing your game, man. That's awesome. And he's like, yeah, I've got a connection over there and send him a game. And I was like, I think that was a good investment of your game to get it over to the most fun team in sports, right?

Luke needs to see the actual pregame

Brett 32:56

Yeah, oh yeah. You know, you say most fun, we say the greatest pregame in sports. You can just, you know, hey, I I like all of them. I like anything positive. Somewhere in there, somewhere in there. If you say we're the most fun, I just put that on teacher right now. Luke Lorig, most fun pregame in sports, our logo. Write it off.

Most fun player on the team — can't pick one

Luke 33:13

Well, I mean, if we gotta do the pre- you gotta, I gotta come out to a game, but I gotta see the actual pregame right to get into it to be able to officially put my name on that thing. That's right. That's right. All right, speaking of fun, who's currently the most fun player on the team? Shout him out.

Brett 33:28

Wow, most fun player on the team. Man, I hope none of the guys watch this and go, why didn't you shout? They gotta step up their fun if they didn't make the top list. Um I could cop out and say Zach Blankenship because he's the one that introduced me to ramps. Um, he also has a mullet, which is just cool within itself. Cole kitchen pitches with yeah, cold kitchen pitches with kitchen utensils. Like, like legitimately like grill utensils. Um Nick Lopez, he was an all-American last year at Kentucky, has a blue mustache. You know, by the way, he's at 380 right now. Uh he has does the frat boy flip, which is, you know, you see at uh frat tailgates across the SEC. Um man, I I would have to, most fun. I mean, those guys got Mac Danford, he's a lot like myself, good old country boy. You know, you just slap up a tent in a truck bed, and that's what we call a tailgate. Nothing extravagant, you know, you don't need anything crazy. Um, Travis Munio, he's the guy that's gonna be playing the good tunes, good vibes at the tailgate. So if I had to, I couldn't pinpoint one of them. I mean, we got a lot of just fun guys. Taj Porter, I mean, he's a Louisiana guy. So I actually went to, he invited me over to his house. We had a uh crawlfish boil preseason. And we played some uh beard eye and played uh some rampstairs. Maybe Taj Tavel is Taj got Taj, if if I if I could put Taj on Onks and he can make me some of that that seafood, I might have Sick Taj. Might have Sick Taj.

You can be bought with crawfish and kielbasa

Sit him down with shrimp and kielbasa — done

Luke 35:02

So you can be bought with uh seafood, crawfish, like that will elevate somebody's spot.

Brett 35:08

Yeah, 100%. You know, you you sit me down in a chair and you give me some shrimp and uh and and and some kibasa sausage. You know, I never had crawfish before. Taj got it imported from Louisiana too, by the way. So it's just authentic crawfish. Um, I can't be bought. You know, who can't be bought in today's you know time and age?

Luke 35:29

I feel like we we learned a lot today about you know the Texas tailgators behind the scenes, what it's all about. But I also learned that Brett loves some food. He loves some food at his tailgating parties, no doubt about it. So that's awesome. All right. If somebody, like let's say somebody's listening, like, you know what? I think I have what it takes to be a Texas tailgator. How does somebody how does somebody even try out or get an opportunity to show their skills?

I would love to be a Banana Ball player

Brett 35:57

So you can go to the Savannah Bananas website, and there is a prospective players form you can fill out. And uh you have to fill that out and a video and all that good stuff. And that's kind of how how you get in the realm of things. I think when you when you look at our guys, a lot of them have kind of been sought out. Uh, a few of them have done that, but you know, being being sought out in the way you are sought out after is obviously got to be a good baseball player. I think that's that's towards the top of the list, right? Like we we have these conversations all the time, like about what it takes to be a banana ball player, but being a good baseball player enables you to be a good banana player. Like we got guys that first round picks in the big league draft, we got guys that signed for over a million dollars in bonus money, we got guys that were all Americans in college, you know, guys who um, you know, they've won everywhere they've been. Like they just have every accolade in the book, um, and and they're here. So you gotta have that. That that's at the top of the list. I think the second thing that you have to have, you gotta be a high character person. I I think that's what makes this place so special is because I enjoy going to work every day because of people I get to be around, um, and just how everybody is so, you know, everybody's so welcoming when I first got here, and everybody continues to be that. Everybody continues to, again, you know, the they just they they want to be there for you, um, just high character people, high energy people too at the same time. I think having a social media presence, that's one big thing. Um, you know, being knowing how to work your social media, knowing how to do those things. Um, and and you know, those are really the three pillars of being able to be a good banana player. But again, it all starts with being a good baseball player and being a high character person and being able to entertain, being able to be fans first always. So there's a lot of things that go into it. You know, you you could be the best baseball player ever, you can know how to sing and dance, you can know how to do all these things, but you know, being able to uphold the fans first away is is is the biggest part of all of that.

Luke 37:54

So well, good stuff. Uh again, I would I I know you're saying that people are sought out for this. I would love to be a fly on the wall if there was some actual tryouts, because I feel like that would just be the most entertaining thing that I've seen in a long time.

Brett 38:08

There's videos, there's videos on YouTube of the uh of tryouts. There's uh we had a guy, his name's Jonathan Sun, we call him Sunshine. If you ever watch the movie, remember the tags. He looks exactly like Ronnie Bass. So we we call him, we call him Sunshine. There's a video of his tryout in Philadelphia last year in 2024. Um, and it kind of takes you behind the scenes of what a tryout looks like. He rides a unicycle. That's right. Yep. He he rides a unicycle up to home plate, hits on the unicycle. Uh actually got his first hit in um, where were we at? Got his first hit in St. Paul, Minnesota on the unicycle, about two months into the year. So he he he rides on the unicycle. And you can kind of, I believe somewhere on YouTube, because I've watched it, but you can kind of go through and see what a tryout looks like. And, you know, it's they're testing your baseball skills. They're also trying to find out what kind of person you are, they're testing how good you could be at trick plays, but then they're also testing how can you entertain? Because the thing we always say is, you know, entertain always down here. So that's the the tryouts are so much fun to go back and watch those. Robert Anthony Cruz has done some stuff, some videos on his page coach rack uh of kind of behind the scenes at a tryout. So if you're into what a tryout looks like, there's some videos out there for you, Luke.

Plug your socials — @TheTexasTailgaters

@TheTexasTailgaters — T-A-I-L-G-A-T-E-R-S

Luke 39:26

All right. I I guess this is a good spot of the show, too. Like plug your socials, plug Texas Tailgators. Where can people find you to like see some more of this fun stuff that's going on?

What can people expect on Brett's social?

Brett 39:35

Yeah, the the Texas Tailgators socials are at the Texas Tailgators, and that's Tailgators, T-A-I-L-G-A-T-E-R-S. Um, so it's at the Texas Tailgators on Instagram, TikTok. Uh, you can find them on us on Facebook, the Texas Tailgators, find us on YouTube, the Texas Tailgators. And then for me, it's just Brett M. Loftus, B-R-E-T-T-M-LOFIS. L-O F T I S. You find me on Instagram, find me on X, find me on TikTok. I'll accept your Facebook prayer request. Um, LinkedIn if you're into that type of thing, YouTube, whatever that may be.

A lot about the Texas Tailgaters and a guy being himself

Luke 40:12

So what can if people give you a follow after after they listen to the show, what can they expect to see on your page?

Similar principle — accessible, never forget where you came from

Brett 40:18

You're gonna you're gonna find a lot of stuff about the Texas Tailgators. I tell you that much. You're gonna see a guy in a pearl snip and a cowboy hat who is very passionate about the Texas Tailgators, who's very passionate about our game of banana ball, but wants to interact with you. I I think that's the thing. Um I love to tell people all the time. You know, growing up, especially before social media got big, and when you were to get a chance to meet somebody that was your hero. Like I remember being that little kid. I remember getting to meet my heroes as they were in the sports world. And the ones that would make you feel really, really good, you rooted for that guy. And the ones that didn't, I was like, man, like that kind of felt like somebody stabbed you in the heart. I remember becoming a teenager, becoming a young adult, trying to break into this industry and you know, texting people, sending messages to guys on social media and people that I looked up to, and the ones that would text me back, or the ones that would DM me back, or the ones that would, you know, whatever. And remember thinking the indelible impact. So you're gonna see me being passionate about the Texas Tailgators, you're gonna see, you know, my personality, I think, bleed through from the broadcast clips that we share and from the other fun things that we get to do on my social media and in our social media in general. But I also think if if you if you're somebody that wants to reach out, or you're somebody that wants you to, you want to get to know me, or you know, you just want to say hello, uh, I I try to respond back to everybody as well and and try to try to make those those connections because it wasn't too long ago that that you know, I was that little kid that that wanted to to meet one of my heroes, and and that's never lost on me.

Luke 41:45

So No, I think that's amazing. I carry a similar principle in life. I know I'm not always perfect, but I but I try to uh always respond to people um, you know, with that because I think it means something, right? And again, I know you and I talked about that like the first time because I messaged you like out of the blue because I was like, this dude's with Texas tailgators, like I gotta talk to him, right? And you responded back like the same day, right? Just with a guy you've never even like met before. And then we had, I think we talked a long time, like in our first video, because I changed it up and we could probably talk all day if we want if we wanted to without any problem at all. So no, I appreciate that. Um tell everybody out here, like, get give a good closeout speech as to if somebody's on the fence with about like bringing a family spending money to come out to see the Texas Tailgators, like, give them that motivational speech right now to get out there and do it.

Brett 42:34

I think if if you're on the fence about coming and seeing the Texas Tailgators, the greatest pregame in sports, the best selling point I could tell you, if you have a family of four and you're gonna come to the game and you're gonna spend $35 on a ticket, and you're gonna come and you want to buy some merch and you want to come and bring your family to a family-like atmosphere, you're gonna be around a lot of like-minded people. You're gonna be around a good group of people. I think the biggest sell uh one of the biggest confidence I get all the time, because we get these from our fans, right? So I'm not in the crowd seeing this. I'm I'm hearing this from fans, we get to interact with them. The thing I've heard a lot from families, that mom and dads will come up to me with little ones and say, we love coming to y'all's games because we know we don't have to worry about somebody being belligerently drunk or somebody doing something crazy in the stands. It's a it's a family-like atmosphere, somewhere where it's safe to bring our kids. It's somewhere where we know that it's gonna be it, the the the the crowd is gonna be very like-minded as us. Then you're gonna get to see the greatest show in sports. What we get to do on a diamond, where we come out on pickup trucks for an intro, and then we go and we have dance routines in our intros, and then all the other things that we get to do. Oh, and then the the banana ball game starts, right? So, and then you know, we have the walk ups and we have, you know, the the the the guy riding the unicycle, and you know, we have all these other things. That's not even talking about pregame and post game, where we have the Texas Tailgators band, uh a singer songwriter, Jason Arnt, and his band that oh oh also he plays on our team and has hit a home run this year. That is performing pregame out in the plaza and post-game. That's not talking about these guys who have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media that will treat you like, you know, they're your best friend, right? And and and it's all these things that when you get to come to one of these environments and you get to, you know, we're very fans first about our pricing when it comes to our tickets. We're very fans first about the environment that we promote. We're very fans first when it comes to our merch. We're very fans first about all these things. And I think if you brought your family to our environment, and if you're a sports fan, especially a banana ball fan, I think we could not only win you over for Banana Ball, but I think we could win you over for the Texas Tailgators. Because I truthfully believe we have such a tight-knit locker room. We have such a great group of high character guys, as of all four of our teams do. And I think we put on one of the best shows. So I think if you're on the fence about that, you should come to a game and come see those Tailgators and Gator up.

Lottery list — 3 million people on it

K-Club is the best way to guarantee access

K is for potassium — that's why it's called K-Club

Luke 44:53

Hey, I'm so I'm ready to go to the game right now. All right. So how long, like when's the season end? For 2025, like when is the last game? So people kind of know like they need to make a move by a certain time.

Brett 45:04

Yeah, well, there's a lottery list right now. So I don't know if I don't know if you would even be able to come to the game right now um buying directly from the bananas for 2025. Um you would have to get on the lottery list, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news. The lottery list, I believe the last time I was told is three million people long. Um, but you get on the lottery list for a game and and you try to get to kind of the game. We will conclude our regular season um in late September, last weekend of September in Houston at the Astros Park at uh, I believe it's Daiken Park against the bananas of last weekend. So I think getting on that lottery list and trying to uh trying to get ready for 2026 might be the the best plan of approach there. But yeah, I I think you know that we also have something called the K Club, which is you know no different than I I explain the K Club is like when you look at some of your other programs, like Clemson and I grew up, they had the Ipte program, or growing up as a Brace fan, they had the A-list program. So you get you know special perks, you get access to tickets. Um and we have we have the K Club uh here with Banana Ball. Yeah, the reason it's called the K Club is because potassium on the periodic table is K. And potassium, as we know, is that's right, that's right. So that's why that's called the K Club. So if that's something that that any of the the listeners are are interested in joining out there, so yeah, it's it's it's it's tough to get a ticket to one of our games, which I think is a good thing. But I also think, you know, as we move forward in our company and and continue to progress, you know, we're gonna go to more and more venues across the country. Um, we're gonna continue to go to places that are really, really big that allow us for people to come and see our show, but we're gonna go to places that maybe, you know, aren't sought after as much in the macro eye, and we'll be able to give people opportunities that way as well.

Luke 46:57

Excellent. I I mean again, I'm still like trying to process three three million deep three million deep on a waiting list. You and me. That says everything you need to know about the sport right there, right?

The Tailgate Connect open invitation post-season

Brett 47:07

Three million people. I mean, you just you think about how many people three million people are. I there's states that don't even have three million people that live. So uh it's just man, it's it's a blessing to get to work for an organization like this, and it's a it's a blessing to get to be around the uh the group of people that we get to be around and the experiences that we get to have. Um, I wake up every day and I thank the good Lord above, you know, for this opportunity and putting me here because it's nothing that I did. You know, I just always believe luck is when when preparation, when opportunity or when your preparation meets opportunity, I should say. So um, you know, just blessed and and and really, really lucky to be here and just thankful.

I'll take you up on that Luke

Luke 47:45

So no doubt, no doubt. All right. So, you know, this is the Tailgate Connect podcast. And what we do, we have tailgate hosts all over the country, right? From like NFL games to NCAA games, where it's easy button tailgate, right? People can just like buy a ticket at tailgateconnect.com. They can they can just show up. They don't have to bring any food. I don't know if they're gonna have every single one of your food choices like that you listed out earlier, like at the tailgate, but they might have some, they might make some special accommodations. So I'm just gonna go ahead and extend this on the air for you and any of the Texas tailgators. When y'all are done with the season, we need to have y'all come to an actual like tailgate. We'll foot the bill on everything on it. Y'all get out there, have some fun, be another great way to connect with some people and be in the element of tailgating where you can enjoy a tailgate versus having to focus solely on the game.

Brett 48:33

I will take you up on that offer, Luke. Don't you worry. I don't know where you guys will be at in uh mid-late October, the entire month of November. Um, but I'm sure we will find a date and make that work because nobody loves a college football Saturday afternoon at a tailgate more than yours, truly. I have been to them in Clemson, South Carolina, Athens, Georgia, Fargo, North Dakota, as far as that may range, and NDSU. Um, I I love, love it. So that that that sounds like a deal there.

Luke 49:04

Excellent, excellent. So again, we'll connect offline about that, but we'll we'll wrap up the show now. So again, Brett, it's been awesome to have you on the show. Like, and I could probably talk for another like hour with you about all things behind the scenes with uh Savannah Bananas and Texas Tailgators. So for everybody at home, thank you for tuning in. Make sure you follow Brett, make sure you follow the Texas Tailgators, all that stuff, because again, they're making moves. And if you learn nothing else, you learn that Brett loves food. And you better get on the freaking waiting list if you want to go to a game. It's three million people deep. I'm still gonna have to digest this after the show this evening. But thank you all for tuning in. Hit tailgateconnect.com for all of your easy button tailgating needs, and we hope to see you, including you, Brett, at a tailgate soon. Have a good night.