First Pitch: The Savannah Bananas Take the Field

June 11, 2020

When Cole, his wife and their small team began working to replicate past success in Savannah, they sold two tickets…in three months. The lowest point came shortly after, when the team was informed it had completely overdrawn the organization’s bank account. Instead of folding, Cole and his wife doubled down. They sold their house, going all-in on the Bananas. Then a lightbulb went off. By working from small experiments and building on what worked, small wins began to trickle in.

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A lifelong baseball fan, Jesse Cole has seen it all. From potential big-league dreams to a journey toward finding how best to engage with the game after his career came to a close, Cole eventually landed an internship with a small team in South Carolina. Since, he’s held key roles in several organizations and innovated […]

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When Cole, his wife and their small team began working to replicate past success in Savannah, they sold two tickets…in three months. The lowest point came shortly after, when the team was informed it had completely overdrawn the organization’s bank account. Instead of folding, Cole and his wife doubled down. They sold their house, going […]

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It was time to pull out all the stops. From renaming the team to the Bananas to senior-citizen dance teams, male cheerleading squads, dancing players and a mascot named Split, the Bananas now have a waitlist for tickets that numbers in the thousands. To follow that fans-first lead, you’ll need to ask some key questions, […]