There’s nothing quite like Banana Ball.
With the Savannah Bananas at the forefront, the baseball spectacle has taken on a life of its own. On any given game day, the Bananas, their opponents, and guest stars get their moment in the spotlight. Among the cast of stars is someone who the show could not possibly go on without: the Dancing Umpire.
The Dancing Umpire is more than just a descriptor — it’s the name of the official who sometimes maintains order but almost always steals the show with dance moves that have gone viral across social media platforms.
Who, exactly, is the Dancing Umpire? Here’s more to know about the man behind the official moniker.
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Who is the Dancing Umpire?
The Dancing Umpire is Vincent “Vinny” Chapman, a professional umpire who began a career of umpiring baseball as a high school sophomore in his native Texas.
Chapman earned “The Dancing Umpire” name in 2008 when he began to dance for fun while calling youth baseball games.
His first viral major moment came in 2015, when a video of him dancing to “Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)” at a game amassed over 12 million views across social media, eventually leading to an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellentube.
With Chapman’s profile quickly expanding, the Savannah Bananas offered him an opportunity to be the home plate umpire for games. He accepted the role, which he has held since February 2022.
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His dance moves know no bounds, and they are often a hit on Bananas’ social media channels.
Someone please come get our umpire😩 pic.twitter.com/d2wlprJ3hW
— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) June 8, 2025
Chapman has long considered baseball and dancing his two passions, citing a history of doing both since an early age. He turned his passion for playing into a livelihood as an umpire and has since been able to mix in his passion for dancing.
On his official website, Chapman says that “My passion in life is to make people happy by using the gift I was given and to share it with as many people as I can.”
Chapman is nearing 30 years of umpiring experience, and his popularity as a dancer is shown through his social media followings — he has surpassed 400,000 TikTok followers and over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
