ACQ2: Building the Savannah Bananas Entertainment Empire with Jesse Cole

From sleeping on a twin air mattress with $30 grocery budgets to selling 2 million tickets annually, Jesse Cole's radical transformation of baseball into "Banana Ball" created an entirely new category of sports entertainment.

Key Takeaways

• Started managing a failing team with 200 fans and $268 in the bank, using entertainment principles from PT Barnum and Walt Disney
• Created "Banana Ball" with 11 unique rules that eliminate baseball's boring moments while maintaining competitive integrity
• Built a "fans first" business model that rejects sponsorships and advertising to maintain pure customer relationships
• Developed an asset-light touring model that fills major league and football stadiums without paying venue rental fees
• Achieved 25+ million social media followers across all teams, exceeding every MLB team's digital presence combined
• Operates debt-free while paying players significantly more than minor league baseball through premium ticket and merchandise pricing
• Maintains complete control over fan experience by building in-house capabilities for ticketing, broadcasting, and operations
• Leaves substantial revenue on the table intentionally to build long-term fan loyalty and "stored potential energy"
• Creates authentic storylines through multiple competitive teams rather than scripted entertainment outcomes

Timeline Overview

• Early Gastonia Years (2007-2014) — Learning Through Failure: 23-year-old Jesse becomes GM of worst team in college summer baseball, experiments with entertainment-focused promotions for 10 years while building attendance from 200 to becoming fourth nationally in a small North Carolina market
• Savannah Launch Disaster (2015-2016) — The Brink of Bankruptcy: Moves to historic Savannah stadium, sells only 2 tickets in first 3 months, sells house and lives on air mattress while creating "Bananas" brand identity that generates national media attention despite brutal local criticism
• Traditional Baseball Success (2016-2020) — Finding Product-Market Fit: Achieves immediate success with all-inclusive entertainment experience, eliminates sponsorships completely, begins secretly developing Banana Ball rules while dominating college summer league attendance
• Banana Ball Creation (2018-2022) — Inventing New Sport: Tests experimental rules in private practices, launches limited touring with new format, leaves traditional league permanently to focus on proprietary entertainment experience with multiple competing teams
• National Stadium Expansion (2022-present) — Scaling Entertainment Model: Fills 80,000-seat football stadiums and major league venues nationwide, builds broadcast partnerships while maintaining free YouTube access, creates membership programs and waiting lists exceeding 3 million people

From Rock Bottom to Entertainment Innovation

Jesse Cole's entry into professional baseball began with necessity rather than choice. At 23, he became general manager of the Gastonia Grizzlies, representing the absolute bottom tier of organized baseball with 200 fans per game, $268 in the bank, and annual losses of $150,000. This failure became the foundation for innovation, as conventional baseball approaches had already proven inadequate.

The transformative insight came while coaching elite college players in the Cape Cod League. Despite sitting next to future major leaguers with the best view in baseball, Cole found himself bored during games. This realization sparked a crucial understanding: if someone deeply knowledgeable about baseball felt disengaged, casual fans must experience even greater disconnection from the sport.

Cole immersed himself in studying entertainment masters across industries - PT Barnum's circus showmanship, Walt Disney's experience design, Saturday Night Live's content creation, and WWE's character development. He applied these principles to create promotions that seemed absurd but served serious purposes: Grandma Beauty Pageants, Salute to Underwear Nights, and literally burying certificates for China trips in the infield dirt.

• Worst-case scenarios accelerate learning - Taking over failing organizations forces innovation because conventional approaches have already proven inadequate for the market conditions
• Boredom signals untapped market opportunity - When industry experts feel disengaged with their own product, massive room exists for differentiation and customer experience improvement
• Cross-industry education reveals blind spots - Studying unrelated entertainment formats exposes possibilities that industry-focused thinking cannot recognize or implement
• Systematic experimentation builds expertise - Ten years of testing entertainment concepts created institutional knowledge about what resonates with audiences versus internal assumptions
• Local market validation enables scaling - Building loyal regional followings provides foundation for testing broader market concepts and developing touring capabilities
• Personal investment demonstrates commitment - Putting substantial personal wealth at risk signals to stakeholders that failure is not an acceptable outcome

The Savannah Catastrophe and Brand Creation

The move to Savannah began romantically when Cole proposed to Emily McDonald on field in Gastonia, and she planned a weekend trip to explore the historic city. Visiting Grayson Stadium, where legends like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson had played, Cole discovered a nearly empty venue despite perfect weather and rich baseball history.

When the resident New York Mets affiliate demanded $38 million for stadium renovations or threatened to leave, Cole convinced Savannah's city government to lease the facility for $20,000 annually. However, reality proved brutal after the move. In their first three months, they sold exactly two tickets to paying customers. Their launch event with free food and alcohol attracted only 100 people in a city of 150,000.

By January 2016, three months after launch, they had overdrafted their bank account and faced complete financial collapse. Emily and Jesse sold their house, emptied savings, and moved into a converted garage so disgusting they slept in socks to avoid touching surfaces. They grocery shopped with $30 weekly budgets, counting every purchase while their dream teetered on bankruptcy.

• Market resistance requires proof over promises - Communities rejecting new concepts need demonstration rather than explanation of value propositions
• Financial discipline preserves options - Extreme cost management during crisis periods maintains runway for eventual breakthrough moments
• Partnership alignment determines survival - Having co-founders willing to sacrifice personal comfort enables persistence through periods that would defeat individual entrepreneurs
• Location transitions create additional barriers - Moving to new communities without established relationships multiplies normal business challenges
• Timing affects market receptivity - Arriving immediately after beloved institutions leave creates resentment that must be overcome through exceptional performance
• Crisis forces priority clarification - Resource constraints eliminate non-essential activities and reveal core value creation requirements

Strategic Naming and Brand Identity Investment

The transformation began with seemingly frivolous decision: naming the team the Bananas after 62-year-old nurse Lynn Moses suggested it during a community contest. The name unlocked an entire entertainment universe - Banana Nanas (senior citizen dance team), Mananas (male cheerleaders), Split (mascot), and countless promotional opportunities that traditional names could never support.

Despite having no money for professional design, Cole invested their remaining funds in creating a "badass banana" logo from Studio Simon. The investment consumed their grocery budget for weeks, but Cole recognized that brand identity would determine whether people took them seriously as entertainment rather than dismissing them as amateur operation.

When they revealed the name publicly, local criticism was savage. People said they'd never sell a ticket and were embarrassing the city. However, the controversy generated exactly what Cole intended: attention. ESPN SportCenter featured them as "Logo of the Year," Yahoo put them on their homepage, and merchandise orders poured in from all 50 states within hours of announcement.

• Memorable beats marketable in brand decisions - Distinctive identities create conversation and recall value that traditional names cannot achieve
• Professional design investment compounds returns - Quality visual identity creates assets that generate value across years of marketing and merchandise sales
• Controversy amplifies reach more than advertising - Polarizing decisions create passionate defenders and critics who both extend awareness through discussion
• National markets differ from local reactions - Concepts that communities initially reject may resonate strongly with broader audiences seeking novelty
• Brand ecosystems enable extension opportunities - Names supporting multiple related concepts create platforms for expanding entertainment offerings
• Visual credibility prevents dismissal - Professional presentation quality influences perception of concept legitimacy and organizational competence

Product-Market Fit Through Experience Design

Opening night 2016 validated Cole's entertainment-first strategy despite operational disasters. The team made six errors while wearing green uniforms because they "weren't quite ripe," but fans experienced something unprecedented in sports. All-inclusive tickets at $15 covered unlimited food, drinks, and entertainment while players delivered roses to children and senior citizens danced in rain delays.

The all-inclusive model created perception of extraordinary value while maintaining reasonable unit economics. High-quality burgers cost $1-2, hot dogs 80 cents, and sodas 20-30 cents to provide. Cole deliberately encouraged fans to "take advantage" of the pricing, creating psychological satisfaction that transcended actual consumption patterns.

After that first game, word-of-mouth marketing exploded organically. Fans who attended told friends about experiences unlike anything they'd seen in sports. The team began selling out games regularly as audiences sought entertainment rather than athletic competition, while merchandise sales exceeded anything Cole had achieved during ten years in Gastonia.

• Experience design trumps operational perfection - Audiences forgive mistakes when overall experience exceeds expectations dramatically
• All-inclusive pricing eliminates transaction friction - Fixed-price models remove payment decisions while creating perception of generous value
• Unit economics enable generous experiences - Understanding true costs allows pricing that seems generous while maintaining sustainable profitability
• Word-of-mouth requires remarkable experiences - Creating moments worthy of sharing generates customer acquisition without advertising investment
• National attention legitimizes local concepts - Media coverage from respected outlets validates ideas that communities initially reject
• Merchandise multiplies customer value - Strong brand identity and positive experiences drive ancillary sales significantly boosting per-customer revenue

The Business Model Revolution: Rejecting Traditional Revenue

Cole's business model explicitly rejected three of four traditional revenue streams in professional sports. While typical teams rely on tickets, food/beverage, merchandise, and advertising/sponsorship, the Bananas eliminated advertising entirely. In February 2020, weeks before the global pandemic, they announced their stadium would become completely ad-free.

This decision cost hundreds of thousands in annual revenue but aligned with Cole's core philosophy: no intermediaries should sit between the Bananas and their fans. Advertising requires teams to extract value from fan attention for third-party benefit, while Cole wanted every aspect designed purely for fan enjoyment, leading to fan walls where supporters sign their names instead of corporate logos.

The concentrated revenue model creates unusual dynamics. Tickets ($35-60) and merchandise comprise 95% of total business revenue, forcing intense focus on customer satisfaction since no alternative streams exist. It also enables premium pricing because fans recognize they're receiving pure entertainment value without commercial interruption or hidden fees.

• Revenue concentration increases customer focus - Eliminating alternative streams forces organizations to prioritize core customer experience above competing interests
• Purity justifies premium pricing - Customers willingly pay more for commercial-free entertainment that prioritizes their enjoyment over advertiser interests
• Intermediary elimination strengthens relationships - Removing third parties from transactions creates direct accountability and eliminates competing stakeholder demands
• Strategic sacrifice builds competitive moats - Voluntarily abandoning revenue streams that competitors depend on creates differentiation that's difficult to replicate
• Fan-first philosophy compounds loyalty - Consistently choosing customer benefit over short-term revenue builds emotional connections transcending transactions
• Business model clarity simplifies decisions - Having clear revenue sources eliminates complex optimization between competing interests and stakeholder demands

Creating Banana Ball: Solving Baseball's Fundamental Problems

Traditional baseball's structural problems became clear through systematic observation. Cole's team photographed stadium sections every 30 minutes during games, tracking exactly when fans began leaving early. At 9 PM, exodus began regardless of score or excitement level, revealing that entertainment additions couldn't solve the sport's inherent pacing issues.

Cole applied Walt Disney's principle of examining normal practices and doing the exact opposite. He began writing 10 ideas daily starting in 2016, working his "idea muscle" like physical exercise. Most ideas proved terrible, but persistent practice generated breakthrough innovations targeting baseball's most boring elements: mound visits, batters stepping out, walks, and blowout scores.

Banana Ball emerged from solving these specific problems systematically. If batters step out, it's automatically a strike. Walks become "sprint opportunities" where catchers must throw balls to every fielder while runners advance. Games have two-hour time limits. Most importantly, innings score only one point regardless of runs, eliminating blowouts while maintaining comeback possibilities in final innings where every run counts as a point.

• Systematic observation reveals hidden problems - Data collection about customer behavior exposes issues invisible through casual observation or industry assumptions
• Daily practice develops creative capabilities - Regular idea generation builds mental muscles producing breakthrough innovations over extended periods
• Problem identification precedes solution development - Understanding specific pain points enables targeted improvements rather than general enhancement attempts
• Opposite thinking breaks industry constraints - Deliberately inverting normal practices reveals possibilities that conventional wisdom obscures
• Game mechanics eliminate structural problems - Thoughtful rule changes address fundamental issues that entertainment additions cannot solve
• Testing validates theoretical improvements - Small-scale experimentation proves concept viability before major operational changes

Leaving Traditional Leagues for Proprietary Entertainment

Leaving the Coastal Plain League in 2022 represented Cole's biggest strategic risk. The team had won back-to-back championships while operating profitably in traditional college baseball. Leagues provided built-in opponents, established schedules, and regulatory structure that abandoning meant creating everything from scratch.

The decision followed historical analysis of the Harlem Globetrotters' trajectory but with crucial differences. In the 1940s, the Globetrotters dominated basketball as competitive entertainment, recruiting players like Wilt Chamberlain and drawing 75,000 fans. They created multiple teams and scripted outcomes for consistent entertainment, which eventually led to irrelevance as the NBA adopted their innovations while maintaining competitive integrity.

Cole chose to disrupt his own successful model before external forces required change. By creating multiple teams (Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters, Tailgators) with authentic competitive dynamics, he built storylines and rivalries while maintaining genuine athletic competition. The Party Animals actually won the first touring championship, proving outcomes remain unscripted.

• Success creates complacency vulnerability - Profitable, winning operations can blind organizations to emerging threats and superior opportunities
• Historical analysis reveals strategic patterns - Studying comparable organizations provides insights about long-term sustainability and competitive dynamics
• Self-disruption beats external disruption - Proactively changing successful models creates competitive advantages over waiting for market forces to demand adaptation
• Authentic competition enhances entertainment value - Genuine athletic contests generate emotional investment that scripted outcomes cannot replicate consistently
• Multiple teams enable sustainable storylines - Creating internal rivalry and personality development provides renewable content and fan engagement opportunities
• Timing affects strategic transition success - Making changes from positions of strength provides resources and credibility that crisis-driven changes lack

Asset-Light Stadium Partnerships and Scaling Strategy

The touring model required solving complex logistical and economic challenges. Major League stadiums have exclusive ticketing agreements with platforms like Ticketmaster, potentially blocking direct customer relationships. Football stadiums present even stranger dynamics - 350-foot foul territory down one line, 200 feet down another, requiring 50-foot protective nets.

Cole's solution leveraged proven demand to negotiate favorable partnerships. Stadiums receive all food/beverage revenue, premium suite sales, and economic impact from visitors traveling specifically for games. The Bananas pay no rent while controlling ticketing and merchandise. Teams now use Banana game access as selling points for season ticket holders.

The model's success at Clemson (81,000 attendance) proved scalability across venue types. Cole travels with 200+ people including players, entertainers, broadcasters, and support staff, costing $35-40,000 annually per person in travel expenses. This investment ensures consistent experience quality regardless of venue, maintaining brand standards across all markets.

• Proven demand creates negotiating leverage - Demonstrating ability to fill venues enables favorable terms that unproven concepts cannot achieve
• Asset-light models reduce operational risk - Avoiding facility ownership enables rapid scaling without massive capital requirements or fixed costs
• Experience consistency requires resource investment - Maintaining quality standards across venues demands significant traveling personnel and operational infrastructure
• Revenue sharing aligns interests - Partnership structures where venues benefit from success create cooperative rather than adversarial relationships
• Economic impact extends beyond tickets - Tourism and spending effects give communities incentives to accommodate unusual operational requirements
• Operational flexibility enables venue diversity - Adapting to different facility types expands market opportunities beyond traditional sports venues

Broadcasting Innovation and Fan-First Media Strategy

Cole's broadcasting philosophy prioritizes fan experience over revenue maximization. Every Banana Ball game streams free on YouTube without advertisements, eliminating paywalls and platform confusion. This decision costs significant potential revenue but aligns with the fans-first philosophy defining all operational choices.

Traditional broadcast partners initially demanded exclusivity deals that Cole consistently rejected. ESPN, TNT, and other networks eventually accepted unprecedented arrangements where they broadcast games with commercial interruption while YouTube maintains simultaneous ad-free streams. This required years of negotiation as networks had never structured deals allowing competing free distribution.

The Bananas built complete in-house broadcast capabilities rather than outsourcing production. They operate control rooms, camera crews, and technical infrastructure for multiple simultaneous tours. Early broadcasts suffered technical failures, but maintaining control enabled quality improvement and cost reduction while preserving editorial independence over content presentation.

• Free distribution builds audience faster than premium pricing - Eliminating access barriers grows viewership more effectively than monetizing limited audiences through paywalls
• Negotiation persistence changes industry standards - Consistently rejecting unfavorable terms eventually forces partners to accommodate non-traditional arrangements
• In-house capabilities provide control and flexibility - Building internal expertise enables customization and quality management that outsourced solutions cannot match
• Learning from failure accelerates improvement - Public mistakes during high-profile broadcasts motivate rapid problem-solving and capability development
• Content control preserves brand integrity - Maintaining editorial independence ensures broadcast presentation aligns with organizational values and fan priorities
• Multi-platform distribution maximizes reach - Simultaneous streaming across channels accommodates varying audience preferences and consumption habits

Community Building Through the K Club Membership

Beyond transactional relationships, Cole built a membership community called the K Club (referencing potassium's chemical symbol). Thousands of members pay $59 annually for guaranteed access to any game, exclusive Facebook community participation, and special events. The club operates without promotion, growing through word-of-mouth recommendations.

This community provides predictable revenue while strengthening fan relationships. Members defend the Bananas against criticism on social media, eliminating need for corporate response management. They share experiences, plan group trips, and create user-generated content extending the brand's reach organically without marketing investment.

The membership model resembles Costco's approach to customer loyalty through shared economics. Rather than extracting maximum value from each transaction, the Bananas provide consistent access and community membership. Members feel ownership in the organization's success rather than exploitation by profit-maximizing pricing strategies.

• Community membership creates emotional investment - Paid programs generate belonging feelings that transcend transactional customer relationships
• Organic growth eliminates marketing costs - Strong community experiences drive recommendations more effectively than advertising campaigns
• Predictable revenue enables long-term planning - Subscription income provides financial stability supporting strategic decision-making over quarterly optimization
• Customer advocacy reduces response requirements - Loyal communities defend brands against criticism, eliminating need for corporate crisis management
• Shared economics build trust - Pricing favoring customers over profit maximization creates goodwill that compounds over time
• Exclusive access drives membership value - Guaranteed availability during high-demand periods justifies membership costs regardless of attendance frequency

Long-Term Vision and Generational Thinking

Cole's vision extends beyond current success toward multigenerational entertainment legacy. He wants to create something his grandchildren will inherit rather than optimize for near-term exit strategies. This perspective enables decisions prioritizing long-term fan relationships over short-term profit maximization.

The Banana Ball ecosystem continues expanding with new teams, storylines, and personalities. Each team develops distinct identities and followings, creating renewable content and competitive dynamics. Cole sees opportunities for international expansion, permanent facilities, and broader entertainment integration while maintaining core values.

Unlike venture-backed companies requiring exponential growth and eventual exit, the Bananas operates debt-free with patient capital from Cole and Emily's personal investment. This structure enables strategic patience, experimental learning, and value creation timelines exceeding typical business cycles.

• Generational thinking enables patient capital - Planning for multi-decade outcomes permits strategies that quarterly-focused organizations cannot pursue
• Ecosystem development creates sustainable advantages - Building interconnected entertainment properties generates synergies individual teams cannot replicate
• Debt-free operations preserve strategic flexibility - Avoiding external financing requirements enables mission-based rather than investor-return-focused decision-making
• Personal investment aligns incentives - Owner-operators make different choices than professional managers accountable to external shareholders
• Value creation exceeds value extraction - Organizations focused on creating customer value often achieve superior financial performance compared to profit-maximizing competitors
• Mission-driven culture attracts aligned talent - Clear organizational purposes help recruit employees and partners sharing long-term vision rather than short-term opportunities

Conclusion

Jesse Cole's transformation of the Savannah Bananas from a failing college summer league team into a national sports entertainment phenomenon demonstrates how radical customer-centricity combined with systematic innovation can create entirely new market categories. By eliminating traditional revenue streams that prioritize sponsors over fans, building comprehensive in-house capabilities to control every aspect of the customer experience, and creating genuinely entertaining alternatives to traditional sports formats, Cole has developed a business model that generates extraordinary loyalty while intentionally leaving substantial profits on the table. His success proves that long-term value creation through authentic fan relationships can be more powerful than short-term profit maximization, especially when combined with patient capital, clear mission-driven decision-making, and willingness to disrupt successful models before external forces require change.

Practical Implications

• Prioritize customer experience over revenue optimization when building sustainable competitive advantages in entertainment industries
• Study entertainment principles from unrelated industries to identify innovation opportunities within traditional business categories
• Eliminate intermediaries between your organization and customers to build stronger direct relationships and clearer value propositions
• Invest in systematic observation and data collection to identify customer problems that they cannot articulate clearly
• Practice daily idea generation to develop creative problem-solving capabilities that produce breakthrough innovations over time
• Build in-house capabilities for critical business functions rather than outsourcing to maintain quality control and strategic flexibility
• Test new concepts at small scales before making major operational changes to existing successful systems
• Create community membership programs that generate emotional investment beyond purely transactional relationships
• Use controversy and polarization strategically to generate attention and passionate advocacy from target audiences
• Develop asset-light business models that can scale rapidly without massive capital requirements or fixed cost commitments
• Maintain debt-free operations when possible to preserve strategic flexibility and enable patient decision-making
• Build multiple revenue streams from core customer relationships rather than diversifying into unrelated business areas