Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

Savannah Bananas: Inside The Banana Ball Phenomenon | Jesse Cole

26 snips

Oct 15, 2025

Jesse Cole, founder and owner of the Savannah Bananas, has transformed baseball into a sensational entertainment experience. He talks about redefining winning through fan enjoyment over scores and his innovative Banana Ball concept. Jesse shares how creating characters and surprise moments enhances engagement, while his 'Fans First' philosophy drives community-building and memorable games. He also discusses the importance of constant learning, fostering creativity, and the impact of his personal journey as a foster parent on his leadership style.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Remove Friction, Then Iterate Rules

Do remove friction points that make experiences long or boring and replace them with simple rules that speed the product.
Try iterating rules (e.g., time limits, no walks, inning-point scoring) and test with fans nightly.

INSIGHT

Design From The Perfect Fan Experience

Jesse Cole reverse-engineered the perfect fan experience by removing baseball's friction points.
Banana Ball replaces slow, boring elements with speed, novelty, and fan involvement to create a new product.

ANECDOTE

Air Mattress Crisis That Sparked Creativity

Jesse and his wife sold their house and slept on an air mattress when the team ran out of money.
That crisis forced relentless experimentation and community outreach that saved the organization.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

What if instead of chasing a seat at the table, you built an entirely new game — and the world fell in love with it?

On today’s episode, we sit down with Jesse Cole, founder and owner of the Savannah Bananas and creator of Banana Ball. Jesse has built one of the most extraordinary, fast-growing sports movements by breaking every rule in the book. In an era where attention is the hardest currency, he’s turned baseball into a full-blown entertainment experience — part sport, part show, and all heart.

From selling out ballparks across America to giving foster families standing ovations mid-game, Jesse’s vision is driven by one principle: Fans First. He shares the habits and systems behind that mindset — from his “Learn, Change, Plus” culture of constant improvement to the leadership lessons that came from adopting two daughters during COVID. It’s a conversation about leading with joy, embracing risk, and using creativity as a form of love.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to design sold-out experiences by removing friction — and why iteration beats perfection
Why culture must evolve from “team” to “teammates”
The simple system that keeps the Savannah Bananas innovating nightly
Why “winning” is redefined as a remarkable show and shared joy–not just the score
How Jesse and his wife Emily turned their foster journey into Bananas Foster
What it means to “play your own game” — in business and in life

This is a masterclass in building something meaningful — not by following the rules, but by following your heart.

--------------------------

Links & Resources

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and wellbeing: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors!

Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine: findingmastery.com/morningmindset!

Follow on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X

Banana Foster: https://bananasfoster.org/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.