A Lot Can Be Learned from the Savannah Bananas

Recently, the Savannah Bananas have been changing the way that people experience baseball by adjusting the rules to be more appealing to their fans. [1] They have not only succeeded in making their games fan-first but also integrated entertainment into sports.

Cole, the founder, made Savannah Bananas games fan-first. Cole’s company uses an internal system where all the fees and taxes are already prepaid. [2] This means that something that is listed at a price is exactly that price, no extra charges for taxes and the like. And of course, although it costs Cole money, he is happy to pay for it. “I’m not trying to make a billion dollars,” Cole said. “I want a billion fans.” [2]

Not only do they make it fan-first traditionally, but they also add rules to the game that include fans in the experience. For example, a foul ball caught by fans is an out. [2] These rules are typically harder to enforce for MLB. Additionally, they have added a two-hour clock limit, so that the game does not drag on forever. They have removed all dead time from the clock to hold fans’ attention.

Furthermore, the players are not only there to play the game itself. They also perform. [1] They dance, walk around signing autographs, and even occasionally hop on TikTok trends. It is not simply a game; it is meant to make fans part of the action.

The Bananas made other adjustments, such as flexible schedules and locations. They don’t play Monday through Wednesday. [1] They play in warm-weather cities on world tours. Fans really like these accommodations for watching the games. The Bananas also made pregame an event by opening the gates two and a half hours before the first pitch. [2] This way, the fans are encouraged to participate in the games.

The Bananas game was built to hold the fans’ attention and keep them in the stadium. The first game was beta-tested on the players in November 2018 at Lander University in South Carolina. [3] Afterwards, the Bananas games were generating millions of fans that were growing at a lightning speed.

Sources:

1. https://www.baseballbiographies.com/mlb-lessons-from-the-savannah-bananas-an-exciting-blueprint/

2. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6535476/2025/08/05/savannah-bananas-what-can-mlb-learn/

3. https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/31589713/the-most-fun-at-ballpark-mlb-learn-savannah-banana