How Jesse Cole Built the Savannah Bananas into Sports Entertainment's Most Valuable Franchise

From a failing college summer league team to selling 2 million tickets annually, Jesse Cole's radical "fans first" approach revolutionized sports entertainment by creating an entirely new game called Banana Ball.

Key Takeaways

• Started with $268 in the bank account and 200 fans attending games at the lowest level of organized baseball
• Created "Banana Ball" - a faster, more entertaining version of baseball with 11 unique rules that eliminate boring moments
• Operates with a "fans first" philosophy that rejects all advertising, sponsorships, and ticket fees to maintain pure fan relationships
• Built an asset-light touring model that fills 80,000-seat football stadiums without paying venue rental fees
• Developed a lifestyle brand with 25+ million social media followers across all teams, more than every MLB team combined
• Pays players significantly more than minor league baseball while playing fewer games through higher ticket prices and merchandise sales
• Maintains complete control over the fan experience by building in-house ticketing, broadcasting, and operational capabilities
• Created multiple teams and storylines within the Banana Ball ecosystem to build sustainable competitive entertainment
• Chose long-term fan loyalty over short-term profit maximization, leaving substantial revenue on the table intentionally

From Failure to Entertainment Philosophy

Jesse Cole's entry into baseball came through necessity rather than choice. At 23, he became general manager of the Gastonia Grizzlies, a college summer league team that represented the lowest tier of organized baseball. The team drew 200 fans per game, carried $268 in their bank account, and lost $150,000 annually - credentials that qualified him for exactly one job in professional sports.

The transformative moment came while coaching in the prestigious Cape Cod League, surrounded by future major league talent. Despite having the best seat in the house next to elite players, Cole found himself bored during games. This revelation sparked a crucial insight: if someone who understood baseball intimately felt disengaged, how must casual fans experience the sport?

Cole immersed himself in studying entertainment masters - PT Barnum, Walt Disney, WWE, and Saturday Night Live. He applied their principles to baseball, creating promotions like Grandma Beauty Pageants, Salute to Underwear Nights, and literally burying certificates for trips to China in the infield dirt. These seemingly ridiculous promotions served a serious purpose: transforming baseball from sport to entertainment experience.

• Worst-case scenarios create learning opportunities - Taking over failing organizations forces innovation because conventional approaches have already proven inadequate for the situation
• Boredom signals market opportunity - When industry insiders feel disengaged with their own product, massive room exists for differentiation and improvement
• Entertainment principles transcend industries - Successful showmanship techniques from circus, television, and wrestling can revolutionize traditional sports presentation
• Promotion frequency builds anticipation - Constant novelty and surprise elements keep audiences engaged throughout entire experiences rather than just peak moments
• Local market validation enables expansion - Building loyal regional followings provides foundation for testing larger market concepts and touring models
• Cross-industry learning accelerates innovation - Studying unrelated entertainment formats reveals possibilities invisible to industry-focused thinking

The Savannah Catastrophe and Recovery

The move to Savannah began with romance and ended with near-bankruptcy. After proposing to Emily McDonald on the field in Gastonia, they took a weekend trip to Savannah and discovered the historic Grayson Stadium - where Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson had played. When the resident New York Mets affiliate demanded a $38 million stadium renovation or threatened departure, Cole saw opportunity in crisis.

Convincing Savannah's city government to lease them the stadium for $20,000 annually, Cole and Emily relocated with grand visions of revolutionizing baseball entertainment. Reality proved brutal. In their first three months, they sold exactly two tickets. Their launch event, featuring free food and alcohol, attracted only 100 people in a city of 150,000. The conference center felt so sorry for them they waived all charges.

By January 2016, three months after launch, the Savannah Bananas had overdrafted their bank account and faced complete financial collapse. Emily and Jesse sold their house in North Carolina, emptied their savings, and moved into a converted garage apartment so disgusting they slept in socks. They grocery shopped with $30 per week, splitting meals and counting every purchase while their dream teetered on bankruptcy.

• Vision without execution leads to failure - Grand plans mean nothing without systematic customer acquisition and revenue generation capabilities
• Market resistance signals need for proof - Communities that reject new concepts require demonstration rather than explanation of value propositions
• Financial discipline enables survival - Extreme cost management during crisis periods preserves runway for eventual breakthrough moments
• Partnership commitment determines outcomes - Having aligned co-founders willing to sacrifice personal comfort enables persistence through difficult periods
• Local market dynamics require understanding - Moving to new communities without established relationships creates additional barriers beyond normal business challenges
• Timing affects receptivity - Arriving after beloved institutions leave creates resentment that must be overcome through exceptional performance rather than marketing

The Power of Strategic Naming and Brand Identity

The transformation began with a seemingly frivolous decision: naming the team the Bananas. During a community contest that yielded 1,000 generic suggestions like "Spirits" and "Anchors," 62-year-old nurse Lynn Moses suggested "Bananas." The name unlocked an entire entertainment universe - Banana Nanas (senior citizen dance team), Mananas (male cheerleaders), Split (mascot), and countless promotional opportunities.

Despite having no money for professional design, Cole invested everything they had left 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. When they revealed the name and logo publicly, local criticism was savage - people said they'd never sell a ticket and were embarrassing the city.

The controversy generated exactly what Cole intended: attention. ESPN SportCenter featured them as "Logo of the Year," Yahoo featured them on their homepage, and merchandise orders poured in from all 50 states within hours. The national media loved what locals initially hated, creating a fascinating dynamic that persists today.

• Memorable beats marketable in naming decisions - Choosing distinctive brand identities creates conversation and recall value that traditional names cannot achieve
• Investment in brand identity pays long-term dividends - Professional design work creates assets that compound value over years of marketing and merchandise sales
• Controversy generates awareness more effectively than advertising - Polarizing decisions create passionate defenders and critics who both amplify reach through discussion
• National markets differ from local reactions - Concepts that local communities reject may resonate strongly with broader audiences seeking novelty and entertainment
• Brand ecosystems enable extension opportunities - Names that support multiple related concepts create platforms for expanding entertainment offerings and promotional activities
• Visual identity influences credibility perception - Professional logo design prevents dismissal of concepts based on amateur presentation quality

Product-Market Fit Through Experience Design

Opening night 2016 validated Cole's entertainment-first strategy despite operational disasters. The team committed six errors in green uniforms because they "weren't quite ripe," but fans experienced something unprecedented. All-inclusive tickets ($15 initially) covered unlimited food, drinks, and entertainment. Players delivered roses to children, senior citizens danced in the rain during weather delays, and constant promotions kept audiences engaged.

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. Meanwhile, the experience itself became the primary product rather than baseball competition.

After that first game, word-of-mouth marketing exploded. 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. Merchandise sales exceeded anything Cole had achieved in Gastonia, with national orders flowing from viral media coverage.

• Experience design trumps product quality in entertainment - Audiences forgive operational mistakes when overall experience exceeds expectations
• All-inclusive pricing creates psychological value - Fixed-price models eliminate transaction friction while allowing customers to feel they're receiving exceptional deals
• Unit economics enable generous experiences - Understanding true costs of food and beverage service allows for pricing that seems generous while maintaining profitability
• Word-of-mouth marketing requires remarkable experiences - Creating moments worthy of sharing generates sustainable customer acquisition without advertising investment
• National attention accelerates local acceptance - Media coverage from respected outlets legitimizes concepts that local communities initially reject
• Merchandise becomes revenue multiplier - Strong brand identity and positive experiences drive ancillary sales that significantly boost per-customer value

The Business Model Revolution

Cole's business model explicitly rejected three of the 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 to serve fans rather than corporate sponsors.

This decision cost hundreds of thousands in annual revenue but aligned with Cole's core philosophy: no one should sit between the Bananas and their fans. Advertising requires teams to extract value from fan attention for third-party benefit. Cole wanted every aspect of the experience designed purely for fan enjoyment, leading to the fan wall 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. This forces intense focus on customer satisfaction and experience quality since no alternative revenue streams exist. It also enables premium pricing because fans recognize they're receiving pure entertainment value without commercial interruption.

• Revenue concentration increases customer focus - Eliminating alternative revenue streams forces organizations to prioritize core customer experience above all other considerations
• Purity of experience 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 customer transactions creates direct accountability and eliminates competing interests
• Strategic sacrifice builds competitive moats - Voluntarily giving up 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 that transcend transactional relationships
• Business model clarity simplifies decisions - Having clear revenue sources eliminates complex optimization between competing interests and stakeholder demands

Creating a New Sport: The Birth of Banana Ball

Traditional baseball's fundamental problem 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. Despite endless entertainment between innings, people abandoned games due to baseball's inherent pacing issues.

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

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

• Systematic observation reveals hidden problems - Data collection about customer behavior exposes issues that aren't obvious through casual observation or industry assumptions
• Daily practice develops creative capabilities - Regular idea generation exercises build mental muscles that produce breakthrough innovations over time
• 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 can 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

The Evolution from Traditional League to Touring Entertainment

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

The decision followed the Harlem Globetrotters' historical trajectory but with crucial differences. In the 1940s, the Globetrotters dominated basketball as competitive entertainment, drawing 75,000 fans and recruiting players like Wilt Chamberlain before the NBA existed. They created multiple teams and scripted outcomes to ensure 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 risks - Profitable, winning operations can blind organizations to emerging threats and better opportunities
• Historical analysis reveals strategic patterns - Studying comparable organizations provides insights about long-term sustainability and competitive threats
• 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
• 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

Scaling Through Asset-Light Stadium Partnerships

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

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

The model's success at Clemson (81,000 attendance) and other football venues proved scalability. Cole travels with 200+ people including players, entertainers, broadcasters, and support staff - costing $35-40,000 annually per person in travel expenses alone. 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 cost commitments
• Experience consistency requires resource investment - Maintaining quality standards across multiple 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 Strategy and Media Innovation

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 that defines 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 can broadcast games with commercial interruption while YouTube maintains simultaneous ad-free streams. This took 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. Their first ESPN broadcast suffered transmission failures, but they've maintained control to improve quality and reduce costs 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
• Negotiation persistence can change 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 experience priorities
• Multi-platform distribution maximizes reach - Simultaneous streaming across different channels accommodates varying audience preferences and consumption habits

The K Club and Community Building

Beyond transactional relationships, Cole built a membership community called the K Club (referencing potassium's chemical symbol K). Thousands of members pay $59 annually for guaranteed access to any game, exclusive Facebook community participation, and special events. The club operates without promotion or advertising, 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 the need for corporate response management. They share experiences, plan group trips, and create user-generated content that extends the brand's reach organically.

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.

• Community membership creates emotional investment - Paid membership programs generate belonging feelings that transcend transactional customer relationships
• Organic growth eliminates marketing costs - Strong community experiences drive word-of-mouth recommendations more effectively than advertising campaigns
• Predictable revenue enables long-term planning - Subscription income provides financial stability that supports 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 that favors customers over profit maximization creates goodwill that compounds over time
• Exclusive access drives membership value - Guaranteed availability during high-demand periods justifies membership costs even when not attending events

Secondary Market Challenges and Solutions

The Bananas' popularity created unintended consequences in secondary ticket markets. Speculative sellers list thousands of fake tickets on platforms like StubHub and Vivid Seats, often at $300+ prices compared to face values of $35-60. These platforms invest millions in Google advertising to appear in search results above official channels.

Fans regularly travel across countries for games, purchasing expensive fake tickets only to discover their purchases are worthless upon arrival. Cole's team accommodates these victims nightly through standing room or alternative arrangements, but the problem undermines the fans-first pricing philosophy while creating operational complications.

The secondary market reveals artificial scarcity economics. Average resale prices of $300+ demonstrate pricing power the Bananas voluntarily forego. Cole could charge market-clearing prices but chooses accessibility over revenue maximization, creating arbitrage opportunities that speculators exploit at fan expense.

• Success creates exploitation opportunities - Popular products with limited supply attract predatory intermediaries who profit from artificial scarcity
• Search engine advertising affects customer acquisition - Third-party platforms can intercept customers through superior marketing investment despite inferior service quality
• Pricing philosophy creates arbitrage vulnerabilities - Deliberately underpricing products enables speculation that undermines intended customer benefits
• Platform verification systems require improvement - Ticket resale platforms prioritize transaction volume over fraud prevention, creating systematic consumer harm
• Operational flexibility manages unintended consequences - Having resources to accommodate victimized customers maintains brand reputation despite external problems
• Market dynamics conflict with social missions - Capitalist systems can undermine organizations' attempts to prioritize customer welfare over profit maximization

Long-Term Vision and Sustainable Growth

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 that prioritize 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 following, 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 that exceed 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 competitive advantages - Building interconnected entertainment properties generates synergies that individual teams cannot replicate
• Debt-free operations preserve strategic flexibility - Avoiding external financing requirements enables decision-making based on mission rather than investor returns
• 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 who share 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 entertainment phenomenon demonstrates how radical customer-centricity can create entirely new market categories. By eliminating traditional revenue streams that prioritize sponsors over fans, building in-house capabilities to control every aspect of the experience, and creating genuinely entertaining alternatives to traditional sports, Cole has built a business model that generates extraordinary loyalty while leaving substantial profits on the table intentionally.

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 and clear mission-driven decision-making.

Practical Implications

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