Have you been to a Savannah Bananas game? I haven’t, but they were in town recently. I’m only asking because a player on that team tried to do a backflip on CNN and absolutely ate it. Despite this foul-up, it’s in keeping with the “league,” and by that, I mean, the two teams that are this company. It’s an event akin to the Harlem Globetrotters, and it began after the founder of this spectacle discovered something while sitting in the dugout.
🚨#BREAKING: Watch as a Savannah Bananas baseball player performer attempts a backflip during a live segment on CNN, only to face plant hard in front of the live cameras. The unexpected slip left anchors stunned pic.twitter.com/DQRWud8yp0
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 24, 2025
Jesse Cole had Major League Baseball aspirations, wanting to play for his hometown Boston Red Sox. He blew out his shoulder, which ended that dream, but that later turned into a coaching job. As he sat in the dugout, he realized he was bored out of his mind. He might love the game, but it’s boring for most. He decided to test out what would become the Savannah Bananas while managing a struggling college summer league team in Gastonia, North Carolina. He began doing things like teaching his players the Thriller dance, which caught the attention of his colleagues, including Jesse’s future wife, Emily McDonald, who worked for a minor league team in Augusta, Georgia. She also believed that fan experience and interaction were crucial to success.
CBS’ “60 Minutes” a few months ago decided to stop carrying water for Democrats, shilling for Joe Biden, and lying to the American people, as they usually do, to produce an entertaining segment with Lesley Stahl, who still owes Trump an apology, where she delved into this sporting event that’s grown every year since its inception. That doesn't mean there were initial struggles, but that's for another time.
The game and its festivities start hours before the gates open. It’s meant to be engaging and fun, so much so that you won’t be tempted to peek at your phone. Cole has spent an inordinate amount of time studying how to make baseball work for those who aren’t die-hard fans. He would videotape the audience, wanting to know how he could keep a packed house for the entire event, because even though his Bananas were more fun than classic professional baseball games, people still left early. Jesse, who dons a yellow tuxedo every game, listed the rules for Stahl.
There is a time limit—two hours maximum for games. There are no mound visits. If a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out. There is no bunting—players who do are ejected from the game. There are backflip catches, musical numbers mid-game, and even players on stilts. There are no walks, as sprints have replaced them. In this league, on what would be a ball four, the player then sprints as fast as he can, unable to be tagged out until every outfielder touches the ball.
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Some players for the Bananas have only minimal experience, which is typically high school, but most appear to be former minor league or even major league players. The league’s popularity has been evident on social media and in traditional ballparks, such as Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, where 45,000 packed the stands to watch the Bananas play their archrivals, the Party Animals.
For traditionalists, it might seem foolish. However, the Coles want to be different, doing the opposite in certain aspects of the game, and have built a multi-million-dollar business out of it. Mr. Jesse refrains from corporate sponsors and keeps the ticket process simple, with a maximum price of $60 for any game.
He’s doing fine. The league appears to be doing well. The player who tried to do the backflip, not so much, but it’s only a bruised ego. Nothing that warrants an extended IR stint.
