The (Improbable) Story of Savannah Bananas' Rise to a $1B Empire
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas, shares his remarkable journey from running a struggling college summer baseball team with 200 fans and $268 in the bank to creating a billion-dollar sports entertainment phenomenon. (03:18) The episode explores Cole's transformation of baseball into "Banana Ball" - a faster, more entertaining version that prioritizes fan experience over traditional sports metrics. (23:00) Cole discusses his obsessive study of entertainment legends like Walt Disney, PT Barnum, and Bill Veeck, and how he applies their principles to create unforgettable fan experiences.
- Main themes: The power of putting fans first, creating attention through being remarkably different, and building a world-class entertainment business by obsessively studying the best entertainers in history rather than sports competitors.
Speakers
Jesse Cole
Jesse Cole is the owner of the Savannah Bananas and creator of Banana Ball, a revolutionary form of baseball entertainment. He started as a 23-year-old general manager of a failing college summer baseball team in Gastonia, North Carolina, with only 200 fans and $268 in the bank account. Cole has built the Savannah Bananas into a billion-dollar sports entertainment empire with a multi-million person waitlist and 10 times more TikTok followers than the New York Yankees.
Sam Parr
Sam Parr is the co-host of My First Million podcast and founder of multiple successful businesses including The Hustle newsletter, which he sold to HubSpot. He's known for his direct interviewing style and entrepreneurial insights.
Shaan Puri
Shaan Puri is the co-host of My First Million podcast and a successful entrepreneur and investor. He's known for his ability to identify trends and business opportunities, having been involved in multiple successful ventures in the tech and media space.
Key Takeaways
Study Entertainment Legends, Not Industry Competitors
Cole obsessively studies entertainment masters like Walt Disney, PT Barnum, and Bill Veeck rather than other baseball organizations. (13:45) He has entire bookshelves dedicated to each figure and creates detailed book reports to extract actionable insights. This approach led him to revolutionary ideas like all-inclusive tickets, players dancing, and creating a complete entertainment experience. The key insight is that when you're trying to transform an industry, you shouldn't study your direct competitors - you should study the best in adjacent fields that excel at what you want to achieve.
Whatever's Normal, Do the Exact Opposite
Cole's core principle is "whatever's normal, do the exact opposite" because nobody gets excited about normal things. (10:28) This led to revolutionary changes like naming the team "Bananas" (which got them booed initially), wearing a yellow tuxedo, and creating two-hour time limits for games. The insight is that remarkable and unforgettable experiences come from deliberately breaking industry conventions, even when it initially generates criticism.
Generate 10 Ideas Daily and Test Everything
Cole maintains a daily practice of generating 10 new ideas, inspired by Bill Veeck's philosophy that "ideas are more valuable than anything." (09:48) He keeps annual idea books and tests these concepts in real-time with live audiences. This systematic approach to ideation, combined with rapid testing, allows for constant innovation and improvement of the fan experience.
Control Everything to Control the Experience
The Bananas do everything in-house - ticketing, merchandise, logistics, broadcasting, and entertainment - leaving millions on the table by not outsourcing. (44:45) Cole learned this from Walt Disney's approach to controlling every aspect of the theme park experience. While this makes the business incredibly complex, it allows them to maintain their fan-first standards and quickly iterate based on direct feedback.
Focus on Moments, Not Money
Cole's primary motivation isn't financial success but creating unforgettable moments. (35:33) He describes the feeling of seeing 81,000 fans singing "Yellow" at a football stadium or putting on shows that "should never happen." This mindset shift from chasing profit to chasing memorable experiences has paradoxically created massive financial success while maintaining authentic passion for the work.
Statistics & Facts
- The Savannah Bananas have a multi-million person waitlist for tickets and 10 times more TikTok followers than the New York Yankees. (02:13) This demonstrates the massive scale they've achieved in digital engagement.
- When Cole started in Gastonia, the team had only 200 fans per game and $268 in the bank account, with Cole making $27,500 annually. (03:09) This shows how far they've come from their humble beginnings.
- The Bananas travel with 200+ people to major league stadiums and 150 people to minor league stadiums, with three tours and six teams requiring 500+ traveling staff. (52:05) This illustrates the massive operational complexity of their business model.
