During a previous internship, Bowling Green State University student Riley Wagner knew she had found a career path she really enjoyed.

But before she graduated, Wagner decided to broaden her horizons – and experienced the semester of a lifetime in the process.

Wagner earned a fan experience and event operations internship with the Savannah Bananas, a widely popular semi-pro baseball team that has reimagined fan engagement in baseball and bills itself as ‘The Greatest Show in Sports.’

Everything about Banana Ball – players backflipping and dancing mid-game, on-field performances, music, fan interactions – is about enjoyment, and few entities have more fun skirting traditional rules. Games are timed, the score isn’t a huge concern, players on the Clowns, one of the Bananas’ opponents, have jersey "numbers" that range from the infinity symbol to a bolt of lightning and the measure of success is one sellout crowd after another having a great time.

It’s pure showmanship, which has Wagner, a rising senior from Tiffin, Ohio, having an absolute blast every night.

“Our shows are really exhausting, but once the last person leaves the plaza, it’s always like, ‘We did it,’” she said. “One thing we always say is that every night is someone’s first time getting to see us in person. Seeing kids light up when you take them onto the field and have them interact with the players is just amazing, especially.”

As a Six Flags Resort and Attraction Management (RAAM) major at BGSU, Wagner has taken full advantage of internships through the program’s close ties with its industry. The RAAM program, which can be completed fully in person, fully online or hybrid, guarantees paid co-ops across 20 different departments in Six Flags parks.

Jared Hillman, an assistant teaching professor at BGSU, said experiences like Wagner's are a foundation of the RAAM program.

"The BGSU Resort and Attraction Management program prepares students with hands-on learning and the skills to be successful in this incredible industry," Hillman said. "From museums and aquariums to theme and amusement parks, resorts, cruise ships, zoos, boardwalks, water parks and more, our industry is about creating experiences, building communities and shaping unforgettable moments.

"We are proud of Riley’s success in experiences like the Savannah Bananas, known for their fans-first approach, and our RAAM students and alumni who continue to make an impact across a wide range of opportunities in our industry."

For Wagner, who is set to graduate ahead of schedule due to College Credit Plus courses, the opportunity to prototype her career as a student was alluring.

“BGSU was one of the only schools that had resort and attraction management, then seeing the internships and getting guaranteed experience in the workforce was a huge draw to Bowling Green for me,” she said. “I did two internships with Cedar Point, and then out of the blue, I applied for the Disney College Program and got in.

“When I got to Orlando, I said, ‘I love this so much.’ I knew I was onto something, and I wanted to keep trying new things that weren’t just amusement parks.”

Though many RAAM students and graduates secure roles in the amusement park industry, the degree applies to many other areas of entertainment, which Wagner has seen firsthand in her internship with the Bananas.

After securing the role through an intensive interview process, Wagner spent the past semester earning a crash course in how the organization operates. She works closely with the ticketing department to engage fans during the ticket-acquisition process – the Bananas hold a lottery due to their popularity – and performs gameday operations, interacting with fans from the time they scan their tickets until the end of the night.

At just 20 years old, Wagner said her internship experience has been eye-opening in the best way. As she prepares for her final year at BGSU, Wagner said her past year has given her a jolt of confidence for her future.

“At first, I was very timid because I was younger than everybody else, but in this internship with the Bananas, they put a lot of trust in me to do fan-first moments and anything that will make a fan enjoy their experience,” she said. “It really changed how I look at schoolwork and how I can say, ‘I really can do this.’”

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