--- title: The Savannah Bananas and the business of making baseball fun - The Hustle description: How the team aspires to be like Disney and 3M. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1985293714-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-09T231317.942Z.webp --- # The Savannah Bananas and the business of making baseball fun ![Jacob Cohen](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png?width=48&height=48&name=IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png) [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen) [Jacob Cohen Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/ImJacobCohen) Published: June 10, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 It’s hard to argue with the fact that baseball is boring. ![The Savannah Bananas and the business of making baseball fun](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1985293714-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-09T231317.942Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1985293714-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-09T231317.942Z.webp) In 2020, the average MLB game [lasted](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/03/17/baseball-preview-pace-of-play-crisis) over 3 hours, but saw fewer hits than almost any season since 1909. Representative of this struggle was a recent Oakland A’s game that saw [just](https://www.startribune.com/the-oakland-as-are-the-loneliest-team-in-baseball/600173858/?refresh=true) 2,488 fans (the stadium can fit ~57k). So, perhaps it’s not surprising that one minor league team, with the singular goal of doing the* opposite* of whatever is normal in baseball, has sold out every game since its founding in 2016… #### **… starting with making it fun** You can think of the Savannah Bananas as baseball’s Harlem Globetrotters. Games include: - Pitchers pitching [on stilts](https://www.tiktok.com/@thesavbananas/video/7086646506673147182), batters batting while doing a “[banana split](https://www.tiktok.com/@thesavbananas/video/7077723014648991022),” and a coach [doing ballet](https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas/status/1439212620024741890). - Grandma cheerleaders** **known as the “[Banana Nanas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jt-Fjmzbac).” - No ads — the team removed corporate ads from the stadium, and [97%](https://www.fastcompany.com/90738300/four-lessons-on-innovation-from-the-most-creative-team-in-baseball) of revenue now comes from fans. - Free food — every ticket is general admission and includes food. *Food!* The team views its stadium as an entertainment venue, with “stages” being the parking lot, entrance, concourse, seats, and field. The Bananas’ [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@thesavbananas?lang=en) has exploded and now has ~3x as many followers (2.7m) as the most popular MLB team. #### **They’re also led by a business strategist** In his podcast, Bananas founder Jesse Cole [explains](https://findyouryellowtux.com/bonus-2-how-to-pivot-to-profit-savannah-bananas-long-term-lessons-from-2020/) the team’s mindset for constant innovation. It includes themes like: - **Creativity:** The team hosts monthly “Ideapalooza” brainstorms and Cole visits places like Disney for inspiration. - **Entrepreneurship:** Cole embraces a practice from 3M, the $83B company behind Post-it Notes, in which every new product line is expected to generate 25% of revenue within 5 years. For the Bananas, they’ve tested stuff like a banana cream soda. - **Community:** Staff make 300k calls a year to thank fans, merchandisers, and other partners. The Bananas now have a 15k-person waitlist for tickets. The organization has also been named a top employer in sports. **Want more?** Check out [ESPN’s feature](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5RkB7_qNh8) on the Bananas. 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