Barnstorming (sports)

The popularity of barnstorming faded away in the 1950s as more and more baseball games were televised, affording fans a new way to watch their favorite players and teams.

While barnstorming is no longer as popular as it was in the 20th century, some teams such as basketball's Harlem Globetrotters, and softball's King and His Court founded by Eddie Feigner carry on the tradition.

In 2023, the Savannah Bananas—up to that point, a collegiate summer baseball team— became a full-time barnstorming team to great success, after their proprietary "Banana Ball" format became a national phenomenon.

[3][4] It was very common in the early days of professional American football; for instance, the Los Angeles Wildcats of the first American Football League (AFL) of 1926 played the regular season as a traveling team, then went on a post-season barnstorming tour of Texas and California, with Red Grange and the New York Yankees as the designated opponent for most of these games.

Several auto racers, most notably Barney Oldfield, staged exhibitions around the United States in the early twentieth century.