The World’s CRAZIEST Baseball Team

this is the greatest show in sports the team is called the Savannah bananas the Savannah bananas the Savannah bananas the Savannah bananas the Savannah bananas it's unbelievable in Savannah Georgia baseball isn't played by the traditional rules games don't just include ball strike it's an ounce they also have dancing players and umpire in Savannah baseball is still a 9 Inning game but it has a two hour time limit bunting is illegal batters can steal first base and walks aren't allowed oh and don't be surprised if you see players dressed in kilts wearing stilts and doing backflips as they cross home plate this is banana land home of the Savannah bananas the Savannah bananas are the most viral sensation in sports today their mid-game dance routines have captured the hearts of Millions on Tick Tock and their wild in-game promos filled with juggling pictures a banana pep band and dancing grandmas are unlike anything ever seen in the world of baseball the Savannah bananas are the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball a team that plays by its own rules and puts fan entertainment first not winning or losing and while it may seem like the Savannah bananas came out of nowhere in reality the team was a decade in the making from one Minor League Baseball executive who wanted to break all of baseball's rules this is how the Savannah bananas created the greatest show in baseball the origin story of the Savannah banana starts with one person their bright yellow tux wearing owner Jesse Cole Cole's the ringleader of banana land as owner he doesn't just sit back and watch the banana show he's the leader of the show but before Cole became baseball's PT Barnum he was a kid that dreamed of making it to the big leagues himself Cole grew up in Scituate Massachusetts a small coastal town located 30 miles outside of Boston and was obsessed with the game of baseball and he didn't just love the game he excelled at it Cole was a standout pitcher in high school and got a full ride scholarship to Wofford College in Spartanburg South Carolina and his big league dream was getting close to reality cold Drew entered from multiple major league teams including the Braves Padres and Mets while pitching at Wofford but by senior year his major league dream was crushed when he found three separate tears in his throwing shoulder Cole's playing career was over but little did he know that a new dream was just beginning see Cole didn't just play baseball in his time at welfare he also performed in the school's theater program and that passion for theater and performance was about to come in handy after graduating from Wofford Cole got an unexpected offer for a kid out of college the opportunity to run a minor league baseball team at just 23 years of age Cole was offered to be the general manager for the Gastonia Grizzlies a Collegiate summer league baseball team of the coastal plain League Cole wondered why the Grizzlies would want to hire an ex-college baseball pitcher for its top job but as he found out the team really couldn't afford anyone else and Jesse Cole's own words to ESPN the Grizzlies were the worst team in the entire country and that may have been putting it lightly when Jesse started his job as GM the Grizzlies only had 268 dollars in their bank account and averaged in abysmal 200 fans per game Cole was put in a nearly impossible position to turn the team around but as he sat and pondered the idea Cole had a realization you know we're not in the baseball business we're in the entertainment business so instead of drawing inspiration from baseball Executives like George Steinbrenner or Bill veek Cole studied Up On promotional strategies of Fame Entertainer including the greatest showman PT Barnum and the pioneer of animated films Walt Disney armed with tactics of entertainment Legends Cole got to work he injected slow paced baseball with a slew of unique promos coal head fans paid to throw pitches and drop him in the dunk tank outside of the stadium players did choreograph dances in between Innings and Grandma beauty pageant became a regular staple at SIMS Legion Park in Gastonia the new gimmicks were crazy but they worked under Cole's leadership the Grizzlies went from averaging 200 fans a game to 2 000 and the team went from one hundred thousand dollars in debt to profitability for the first time in years Jessie Cole was onto something he broke the norm and went against the conventional methods of minor league baseball to bring the Gastonia Grizzly back from the dead and along the way another important thing happened Cole met his wife Emily who worked as the Director of fun for the Grizzlies in true fashion he proposed to Emily in the middle of a Grizzly's game and life was good for the couple in Estonia but a little post-engagement trip to Savannah Georgia would Mark the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the Minor League Baseball power couple after getting engaged Emily surprised Jesse with a weekend getaway trip to Savannah Georgia with a population of 147 000 people the small City off the Georgia coast is known for its historic architecture and horse-drawn carriages but it also had a Hidden Gem for baseball Fanatics Grayson Stadium a small ballpark built in 1926 that was home to the Savannah gnats of the South Atlantic League Jesse and Emily set out for a Saturday night at the ballpark but instead of being met with cheering fans and a lively atmosphere they were met with nothing Jesse told ESPN that you could feel the history of the ballpark but on this night it was a complete ghost town and while the environment wasn't the greatest for a date night at the Ballpark for Jesse and Emily it was inspiration the way they saw it Savannah was too good of a market to go to waste and deserved a Better Baseball product so Jesse called the commissioner of the South Atlantic league and said if the Savannah team ever became available that he and Emily would be interested in running it and in 2015 the coals would get their wish the Savannah Sand Nats were officially gone and relocated to Columbia South Carolina and while the city of Savannah was hesitant to try out another baseball team in town Jesse and Emily were persistent and eventually were given a lease on Grayson Stadium the couple then worked with the coastal plain League the same league as the Gastonia Grizzlies to award Savannah and expansion franchise Jesse and Emily had the two most important things a team and a stadium but just like the beginning in Gastonia they were met with immediate adversity Grayson stadium was in need of serious upgrades and they had to build their new team's corporate infrastructure from the ground up the couple quickly went from zero debt to 1.8 million dollars in debt trying to get the team going but Jesse and Emily believed in the vision so the couple sold their house and invested their entire life savings into the team they also moved into a garage turned studio apartment and slept on an air mattress to make ends meet however even with these sacrifices Jesse and Emily were still making little progress they only sold two season tickets in their first two months and still didn't have a name but having no name gave Jesse an idea a name the team contest to drum up publicity so Jesse and Emily put out a list of unusual names for Savannah to choose from including the spirits the anchors the pickles the to-go cups the sailors and the captains but there was one last name that stood out from the rest the bananas and in the landslide fan boat the Savannah bananas were born Go Bananas quickly turned into a rally and cry for the town overnight and the name was so funny and ridiculous that it even trended on Twitter but the hard work was really about to begin opening day was approaching for the bananas inaugural season in 2016 and Jesse and Emily had 4 000 seats to fill ahead of opening Day 2016 the Savannah bananas had to figure out what kind of Fan Experience they wanted at Grayson stadium and to Jesse Colt it was simple if it's normal do the opposite see while Jesse and Emily were DieHard Baseball fans there were also things about baseball games that they didn't like they didn't like expensive ticket prices they couldn't stand to pay for parking they hated the high prices at the concession stands and they despised ugly advertisements around the ballpark so their strategy was simple they got rid of everything they hated Savannah bananas tickets would cost twenty dollars and include concession items like hot dogs burgers and soft drinks beers would only cost six dollars while cocktails were only cost ten dollars and every single advertisement was removed from the ballpark the coals also wanted Banana's games to put the fans first so they plan to eliminate nearly all points of friction between the game and their fans a pep band would greet the fans an hour and a half before the game players would also be out front to meet fans before the game and give everyone a handshake high five or hug players would be encouraged to engage with fans as much as possible during the game and in between Innings a buff banana named split would be the team's mascot and every single break between Innings would have a crazy promo or fan activity unlike any that has ever been seen non-stop action from the first pitch to the last baseball and banana land was going to be different on June 1st 2016 the Savannah bananas rolled out their new brand of baseball and to the astonishment of everyone in Savannah the team drew a sell-out craft of 4 000 fans for their first game Jesse welcomed fans in his signature yellow toxin Fedora the pet man blasted hey baby as fans rolled in and players were out to welcome everyone to a new era of baseball in town the game started with a banana being tossed for the first pitch instead of a baseball a banana baby was honored in the same way Simba was welcomed to the world in Lion King and the dance routines ran all the way through the last pitch it was a special night that nobody would forget especially Jesse and Emily but it was also the start of something special word of mouth about this crazy new baseball experience caught on like wildfire around Savannah later that season the bananas introduced the banana Nana's a cheerleading squad led by women 65 years and older and the men nannies a dad bought cheerleading squad the team also filmed all of its gimmicks and Antics and posted them to Facebook drawing interest from not just people down south but from all over the country people couldn't get enough of of the bananas brand of baseball and it's waitlist for tickets skyrocketed to 10 000 names and not only did this new way of baseball result in sold out games it also produced results on the field even with players needing to memorize dance routines and engage fans all game the bananas on base and slugging percentage improved as the season went on and they pulled off the unthinkable winning the coastal plain league title in their first season the bananas first season was truly a home run and the 2017 season saw more of the same sold out crowds and happy fans but Jesse Cole couldn't help but notice something that bothered him even with the dance routines and wild promos fans were still leaving Grayson Stadium during the 8th or ninth inning before the game was even over because even with constant action at a Banana's home game the game of baseball itself was still slow and long at three to four hours Jesse Cole took fans leaving early as a challenge his next task not just changed the baseball game experience but change the game itself in 2018 Jesse Cole set out to create a new version of baseball altogether but there was just one problem he couldn't change the rules of the coastal plain League because the coastal plain League followed the traditional rules of baseball Cole couldn't actually change the product he already had but he could create a new one altogether so Cole got to brainstorming on a baseball game with new rules one that was quicker and had even more action than a normal baseball game the result nine new rules that would flip traditional baseball on its head including a two-hour time limit for games no walks no Bunting and foul balls caught by fans counting his outs the bananas secretly tested these new rules in a secret mock game at Lander University all the players involved loved it and the game only lasted 99 minutes this new way of baseball would be known as banana ball but Cole needed more time to perfect the banana ball formula before it was shown to the public two more sold out Summers came and went in 2018 and 2019. however like the rest of the world everything would change in 2020. everything stopped for the Savannah bananas at the start of the covid-19 pandemic the coastal plain League delayed the start of its season with only seven teams participating including the bananas and even with a shortened season to play the bananas could only host gains at a heavily reduced capacity but just like everything else in his career Jesse Cole saw this as an opportunity it was time for banana ball to make its debut once safety protocols were relaxed to allow for outdoor events the Savannah bananas returned with a one-off exhibition game of banana ball on June 26 2020 the Savannah team was split into two squads the yellow bananas and the green bananas and battled it out in front of a reduced capacity crowd at Grayson stadium and just like Savannah's first opening day four years earlier Cole was on to something dance routines didn't just happen in between Innings they now happened to mid pitch fans were captivated by banana Ball's crazy rules and all the exciting moments it created all game long even as the coastal plain League's delayed season picked back up in July banana ball exhibition games carried on to sell out crowds at Grayson stadium and highlights of the games made it to SportsCenter Sports illustrator and MSNBC and the bananas introduced a new opponent to battle in banana ball games the party animals their version of the Harlem Globetrotters Washington generals 2020 also marked another important milestone in the bananas Journey posting on Tick Tock the bananas began with videos that hit on trending dances or music which would Garner a few thousand views but as banana ball continued to produce wacky Goofy and hilarious highlights Savannah's Social team struck a Content Goldmine that would take their team to a new level of popularity nobody saw coming in 2021 after five years of building up a brand of baseball that was truly their own Jesse and Emily Cole wanted to Showcase banana ball to the masses the team announced plans for a One-Stop World Tour in Mobile Alabama to take banana ball on the road the bananas also held tryouts for their first premier team a team made up of former college and pro ball player that would play banana ball full time on the world tour and throughout the 2021 season in addition to the bananas coastal plain League team's regular season games with its Premier team roster in place the bananas set out to Mobile Alabama to play some banana ball and it was a hit both games at Hank Aaron Stadium were played in front of sold out crowds the proof was there banana ball didn't just work in Savannah it could work anywhere the bananas had another sold out season of home games for 2021 and began posting clips of skit dancing and banana ball Antics almost daily to tick tock building a following of more than 900 000 on the platform by the end of the year and things continue to go well for the bananas coastal plain League Squad we were crowned 2021 League champions but just as every music artist has a pop in their career like a hit single or Hit album the bananas were primed for their own pop in 2022 as 2021 wound down Jessie Cole announced even bigger plans for the 2022 season this time a seven City World Tour in the spring the bananas Premiere team would also have a new manager former MLB player and baseball analyst Eric Burns and the 2022 World Tour was set to be filmed by ESPN Plus for a docu-series called bananaland the pressure was on for the bananas to deliver two sold out games in one city is one thing but seven different cities all while being filmed by ESPN was another however as Jesse and Emily Cole proofed before they were up for the challenge and as it turned out more people were dying to see banana ball the bananas sold out every single Stadium on their 2022 World Tour with each City selling out within minutes of tickets going up for sale the tourist talented roster also featured MLB players as special guests including 75 year old former MLB pitcher Bill Lee Johnny Gomes Jake Peavey Jonathan papelbaum Josh Reddick and Johnny Bench as a guest first base coach then the bananas got their pop on St Patrick's Day 2022 as the world tour was in full swing the bananas posted a Tick-Tock video of their pitcher and catcher reenacting Dirty Dancing in response to the Kansas City Royals the video got over 12 million views and nearly a million likes then just a few weeks later on April Fool's Day the bananas posted one of their signature mid-pitch dance routines that video got over 45 million views and more than 6 million likes but things didn't stop there just eight days later engagement was off the charts for a video with a mid-pitched tick tock dance routine nearly 92 million views 12 million likes and another hit on SportsCenter three separate pops all within less than a month that more than doubled the bananas Tick Tock following from 983 000 to 2.1 million the Savannah bananas were officially mainstream and from then on Tick-Tock dances were done every third inning during banana ball games 2022 would go on to be a year to remember for the Savannah bananas the team's World Tour culminated with a final appearance in Kansas city where the bananas played two banana ball games against the Kansas City monarchs the defending American Association of Independent professional baseball Champions the bananas sold out all 6 500 seats at Legends Field in Kansas City which set crowded records for banana ball and the fun carried on after the tours end in May the coastal plain League's banana team started their season later that month and went on another magical run to win the 2022 league title and of course the bananas had another sold out summer of home games oh and remember how Jesse Cole wanted fans to stay until the end of each game well after three seasons of banana bull the team found that 98 of fans were staying all the way to the ninth inning and by this point business was booming in Savannah since 2016 the bananas have sold out every single home game at Grayson Stadium the team is estimated to have averaged 176 thousand dollars per home game and tour game in 2022 and the team's home field and online merchandise shop which includes everything from hats jerseys and banana cream soda makes up 20 of their business and their ESPN plus docu-series bananolin debuted in the fall of 2022 and the team even had a banana ball game broadcasted on ESPN too however even with all the glory of 2022 the banana story is really just getting started just as they have every year Jesse and Emily Kohler are continuing to raise the bar for 2023 the Savannah bananas are officially going out on their own the team decided to leave the coastal plain league and go all in on banana ball for 2023 and the world tour just keeps getting bigger and bigger from February to September 2023 the bananas will play 70 games of banana ball in 33 cities across 22 States the bananas will square off against their resident party animals as well as other independent proteins while on tour the schedule also includes stops at MLB spring training facilities AAA stadiums and the mecca of baseball Cooperstown New York home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and what's even crazier not only are all pre-sale tickets sold out for the 2023 tour but the bananas ticket wait list is half a million people long the bananas are no longer a small local team from Georgia they're officially a national brand and with MLB ratings in Decline and some MLB teams struggling just to draw a few thousand fans per game it's safe to say that the Savannah bananas are the greatest show in baseball but the most impressive part the Savannah bananas got here doing things their own way they went against the conventional baseball Fan Experience they prioritized the creation of lifelong fans over the short-term profits of expensive tickets in ballpark food they never stopped creating content to become tick tock's favorite team they wrote new rules for a 180 year old game and ultimately they made baseball fun again in the process

Channel: Joe Pompliano

Views: 41,380

Keywords: sports business, joe pompliano, joe pompliano huddle up, joe pomp show, joe pomp, joe pompliano show, joe pompliano podcast, banana ball, the savannah bananas, savannah bananas baseball, savannah banana, banana baseball, dancing baseball team, savannah bananas baseball dance, savannah bananas dance, savannah bananas, savannah bananas baseball highlights, the savannah bananas baseball team, the savannah bananas highlights, the savannah bananas tiktok, savannah bananas stilts

Id: LfALbgc8lQA

Length: 17min 51sec (1071 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 15 2023