{"id":116065,"date":"2026-04-26T16:28:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T19:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/why-the-savannah-bananas-are-the-biggest-draw-of-the-summer\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T16:28:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T19:28:37","slug":"why-the-savannah-bananas-are-the-biggest-draw-of-the-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/why-the-savannah-bananas-are-the-biggest-draw-of-the-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Savannah Bananas are the biggest draw of the summer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When he was 23, Jesse Cole was general manager of the Gastonia Grizzlies baseball team in Gastonia, NC \u2014 and it was going badly.<\/p>\n<p>With only a couple of hundred people watching the games and money fast running out, he decided to try something different to boost attendances, handing out whoopee cushions at Flatulence Fun Night and hosting a Salute to Underwear Night, where anyone wearing their underwear on the outside of their clothes gained free entry.<\/p>\n<p>Soon, he added music, dancing, and fireworks and went big on interactive fan experiences, like a Grandma Beauty Pageant and Dunk the GM in the Dunk Tank, and, sure enough, attendance went through the roof.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Savannah Bananas have revolutionized baseball with a fan-first approach: Bring the fun, and everything else will follow. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt was like going to see a circus, but then a game of baseball broke out,\u201d he tells The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Unwittingly, though, the Grizzlies would prove to be the blueprint for his next, and most famous, creation \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/07\/03\/opinion\/mom-apple-pie-and-the-savannah-bananas-america-at-its-best\/\">the Savannah Bananas<\/a>. \u201cWhat I learned is that if you put the fans first, then everything else will take care of itself,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Today, the Savannah Bananas are one of the biggest draws in American sports, selling out stadiums, including Major League Baseball venues like Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium, where they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/20\/ticket-sales\/how-to-get-the-cheapest-savannah-bananas-yankee-stadium-tickets\/\">playing April 25-26<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cole, 42, launched the college summer team in 2016, taking over from the Savannah Sand Gnats at the city\u2019s historic 4,000 capacity Grayson Stadium and setting about doing \u201csomething different or impossible,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had sold our house, emptied our savings account, and we were sleeping on an air bed. We were living off $30 a week for our groceries. Something had to change,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole has become something of a circus master for his wildly popular team.  <span class=\"credit\">Noah K. Murray-NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The first thing was the team name, and after a public competition to choose one, the \u201cSavannah Bananas\u201d were born.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll never forget the day that they announced the name of the new team,\u201d recalls Joe Martinelli, President and CEO of Visit Savannah.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reaction in the community was .\u2009.\u2009. what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That said, when Martinelli first met Jesse Cole, he was struck by his vision for the fledgling team. \u201cI said, \u2018Tell me what you\u2019re going to do\u2019. And he said, well, whatever is normal, we will do the opposite.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And I thought, \u2018OK, well, this is going to be interesting.\u2019\u200a\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>With team dance routines, blaring music, and an emphasis on entertainment, Bananas games are an assault on the senses. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A decade later, Cole is now heading up an organization with a value reportedly running into hundreds of millions of dollars, with the Savannah Bananas\u2019 popularity stretching right across the country and even internationally.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Marketing expert Michael Roberto is Professor of Management at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, and co-author of the 2021 report \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/store.hbr.org\/product\/savannah-bananas-growing-the-greatest-show-in-baseball\/W20C16?srsltid=AfmBOopLGMtinUwYhQY5lMAyqvdUY4qb-Go2R7skGmvr-IdhN8baqUqn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Savannah Bananas: Growing the Greatest Show in Baseball.<\/a>\u201d He says that, unlike MLB teams, the Bananas have put the fan experience front and center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Bananas have identified and alleviated so many of the pain points that customers experienced at a typical ballgame, like ticketing, parking, concessions, and so on, as well as addressing the length and pace of the game,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like what Jesse Cole says: Stop doing what your customers hate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, baseball has a long and checkered history of new and novel marketing stunts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Team cast member Princess Potassium waves to the crowd before a game.  <span class=\"credit\">ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Famously, Bill Veeck, owner of the St. Louis Browns, and another of Cole\u2019s inspirations, hired Eddie Gaedel, a 3\u20197\u201d little person, to pinch-hit in 1951 and, later, introduced disco-themed nights and exploding scoreboards when he owned the Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\n<p>In 1974, the Cleveland Indians staged Ten Cent Beer Night, a promotion that ended in a ninth-inning riot among inebriated fans.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more than a hint of Veeck in Cole\u2019s approach, not to mention the greatest showman of them all, PT Barnum.<\/p>\n<p>With team dance routines, blaring music, and an emphasis on entertainment, Bananas games are an assault on the senses.<\/p>\n<p>They even have a moonwalking umpire and one player, Dakota \u201cStilts\u201d Albritton, who bats and pitches wearing stilts, making him 10-feet 9-inches tall.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Bananas have sold out the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. <span class=\"credit\">Marcus Jones \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about creating an experience people can\u2019t get anywhere else,\u201d adds Cole.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Designed to be faster and more accessible, each \u201cBanana Ball\u201d game has a strict two-hour time limit, while a host of tweaks to other rules mean the pace of play is not just quicker but more appealing to fans too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If someone in the stands catches a foul ball, for example, the batter is out.<\/p>\n<p>Bananas superfan Marty Jones says Banana Ball has changed the way he watches baseball. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a big Atlanta Braves fan too, but I\u2019m telling you, if I\u2019m at a game and the Braves are winning 8-0 In the 5th, I\u2019m probably leaving,\u201d he says. \u201cYou don\u2019t get that with Banana Ball. You can score seven runs in one inning but guess what? They only count for one run.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s down to Jesse. He wants people to stay throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet, Banana Ball has exposed a tension between its super-popular version of the game versus the traditions of Major League Baseball and whether it\u2019s prepared to adapt to accommodate new generations of fans.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that MLB introduced a pitch clock in 2023, cutting around 20-30 minutes off games sometimes lasting three hours or more, suggests they are, but the idea that the spectacle of Banana Ball is where the game\u2019s future might lie can\u2019t be ignored, even if it was never the intention of Jesse Cole. \u201cWe\u2019re not in the baseball business, never have been. We\u2019re in the entertainment business,\u201d he insists.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jesse Cole introduced a \u201cbaby banana\u201d in Trenton, NJ, in August 2023. <span class=\"credit\">Noah K. Murray-NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Often, the Bananas draw comparisons to basketball\u2019s Harlem Globetrotters, the touring team celebrating its centenary this year. But that\u2019s wide of the mark, says Cole. \u201cWe get that a lot, but the biggest difference is that we never know the result of the game,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Besides, the Bananas play in a 50-game Banana Ball league with five other teams (all operated through Cole\u2019s Fans First Entertainment), ensuring that, for all the chaos, there\u2019s still competitive baseball being played.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have seriously talented players,\u201d says Cole. \u201cWe have pitchers throwing 95 mph and guys hitting 400-foot home runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut they\u2019ve also got to be performers too \u2014 you\u2019ll often see outfielders catching fly balls while doing backflips.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Savannah Bananas Dad Bod Cheer Squad makes the crowd laugh as they cheer on the team. <span class=\"credit\">ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One such player is outfielder Reese Alexiades. \u201cThe Bananas are more than just a baseball game. It is an experience of joy,\u201d explains the 28-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the time you show up to the gates to the time you leave, our goal is to make sure that you experienced joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou will always see something you have never seen before on a baseball field.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is also a huge cast of other performers who don\u2019t play, including the Banana Nanas, a cheerleading team made up of over-65 women, comedy character Princess Potassium and the Man Nanas (a\u200ak\u200aa the Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad).\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Marty Jones was a Man Nana for eight years before finally hanging up his Pom-Poms at the end of last season. \u201cJesse just said, \u2018Why don\u2019t we have a bunch of out-of-shape men with short shorts and sleeveless jerseys?\u2019 \u201d he says. \u201cSo that\u2019s what we did \u2014 and it was great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fans-first ethos extends to ticket prices as well.<\/p>\n<p>At Grayson Stadium, tickets sell for between $35 and $75, and you get unlimited food and drink (not beer), but with such a small capacity, you simply can\u2019t get them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the Bananas recently had their 250th consecutive sellout.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no different when the team goes on the road, selling out giant arenas across the country and dwarfing attendances set by MLB teams.<\/p>\n<p>This month, the Savannah Bananas sold out the Caesar\u2019s Superdome in New Orleans for two nights, playing to around 140,000 fans and putting them in the same kind of box office bracket as Taylor Swift and Beyonc\u00e9.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaseball hadn\u2019t been played in the Superdome for 20 years, and then Banana Ball turns up, and people loved it,\u201d adds Cole. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible, really.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just ticket sales.<\/p>\n<p>The Savannah Bananas have also built a massive digital presence, with over 10 million TikTok followers (more than any MLB team and the official MLB account itself), alongside 4.1 million on Instagram and 2.4 million YouTube subscribers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Some suggest that the Bananas are where the future of baseball lies. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Across all platforms, their total reach exceeds 35 million followers, far outpacing traditional baseball teams.<\/p>\n<p>The team\u2019s social media has been key, adds Professor Roberto. \u201cThe Bananas have had so much success with social media marketing, particularly on TikTok, because they have created content that is very well-suited for short-form video,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo some extent, they have created the product with TikTok and Instagram in mind.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Merchandise has also played a significant part, with their Dolce &amp; Banana range of clothing (and underwear) proving hugely popular.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Bananas have drawn comparisons to that other performative team, the Harlem Globetrotters.  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When Joe Martinelli visited London with his wife recently, they bumped into some German tourists outside Buckingham Palace, all of whom were wearing Savannah Banana jerseys. \u201cYou can\u2019t being to grasp the exposure that having the Bananas does for the city of Savannah, both in the United States and internationally,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>For Jesse Cole, meanwhile. It has been a whirlwind decade \u2014 one that has transformed this small-market baseball operator into the ringmaster of one of the sport\u2019s most unlikely revolutions. \u201cSure, I have to pinch myself from time to time, but it\u2019s got a life of its own, and that\u2019s because we put the fans first,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s what we\u2019ve done with Banana Ball \u2014 we\u2019re nothing without the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/25\/sports\/why-the-savannah-bananas-are-the-biggest-draw-of-the-summer\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When he was 23, Jesse Cole was general manager of the Gastonia Grizzlies baseball team in Gastonia, NC \u2014 and it was going badly. With only a couple of hundred people watching the games and money fast running out, he decided to try something different to boost attendances, handing out whoopee cushions at Flatulence Fun [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow2JLhCw:productID":"","_gspb_post_css":"","maa_idioma":"","maa_pais":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15966,3325,13854,4697,9378],"class_list":["post-116065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ubirata","tag-bananas","tag-biggest","tag-draw","tag-savannah","tag-summer"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why the Savannah Bananas are the biggest draw of the summer - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When he was 23, Jesse Cole was general manager of the Gastonia Grizzlies baseball team in Gastonia, NC \u2014 and it was going badly. 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