Indianapolis Clowns

The Indianapolis Clowns were members of the Negro American League in 1944 and again from 1946 to 1952. They played their home games at Bush Stadium. After leaving the NAL, they became an independent barnstorming unit, and were the last Negro League team when they disbanded after the 1982 season.

A successor of Ethiopian Clowns and Cincinnati Clowns, they put on a racially stereotypical act, frequently wearing grass skirts and wild makeup, and clowning on the field. As a result, many teams opposed their entry into the NAL. In their later barnstorming years, they did a clown routine similar to the Harlem Globetrotters, while signing women and even a midget to playing contracts. In their last two decades, they were an integrated team.

As a league team in 1951, they signed a young Hank Aaron to a contract. Aaron was signed to a contract by the Milwaukee Braves the next year.

The team was revived in 2026 as part of the Savannah Bananas entertainment empire, returning to its barnstorming roots and combining baseball entertainment just like the original team, did, although with more contemporary sensibility. The project was undertaken with the support of the Negro Leagues Museum, which owns the intellectual property rights associated with the original team. Former major league outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. was a member of the first edition of the revived team, alongside a number of former minor league players.

See also: baseball clowns.

Further Reading

• Josh Levin: "The Clown Show: The Savannah Bananas are reviving one of the most entertaining - and controversial - yeams in Negro Leagues history, The Atlantic, June 2026, pp. 60-68.
• A.J. Richard: "Playing with the Boys: Gender, Race, and Baseball in Post-War America", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 48, Nr. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 18-28.

Related Sites

• BR Franchise page