Why This Baseball Team Has a 4.2 Million Person Waitlist With Jesse Cole | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love? Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League. They’re a viral sensation, selling out stadiums across the country, and have over 4.2 million fans on their ticket waitlist. On the surface, Banana Ball looks like a wild and entertaining version of baseball. But underneath it all is something much more disciplined: an obsession with the fan experience. Jesse calls his approach _Fans First_ and it’s more than a slogan and the title of his book… It’s a standard. Every minute of the two-hour games are crammed with attention grabbing spectacle. It’s a full-blown live experience designed for every seat in the stadium: players dance, fans are part of the show, trick plays defy the laws of physics, there are multiple sing-alongs… all during an actual baseball game. In this conversation, we talk about building something new for others, from embracing years of failure (including selling just two tickets in the first three months), to creating experiences that make people feel included, joyful, and valued. We also discuss how he took inspiration from Disney and PT Barnum, the importance of affordable in-person experiences, and how his team reviews every single detail after every show to get better the next day. Because what Jesse’s building goes beyond just entertainment. It’s a place where people can feel seen for generations to come. And in a world that often moves too fast to build things with care… Those human details might be what matter most. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To learn more about the Banana Ball League or sign up for the ticket waitlist, check out: https://bananaball.com/ Or if you want all things Savannah Bananas, head to: https://thesavannahbananas.com/ + + + Chapters 00:00 Think of Every Customer's Experience 02:38 Why Jesse Started the Bananas: Putting Yourself in Fan Shoes 05:10 Inspiration from Walt Disney and PT Barnum 06:19 Ten Years of Experimentation and Failure Before the Savannah Bananas 08:01 Fans First: Building for People, Not Baseball Traditionalists 08:57 Competing Against Netflix and Video Games, Not Other Baseball 09:56 The Philosophy of Feeling Alive and Creating Joy 10:41 Building a Team: From 200 to 1000 Staff with 14,000 on the Waitlist 11:15 The Modern-Day Walt Disney: Refreshing Entrepreneurship 13:00 Sleeping on an Air Mattress: The Early Struggles 13:51 The First Night Story: Fans First Isn't Just a Slogan 16:54 Learning from the Harlem Globetrotters 18:36 The Players: Rejected Dreams Become Second Chances 39:11 Winning the Upper Deck: Making Every Seat Special 40:59 Hall of Famer Lee Smith's Philosophy: Seeing the Person 24:18 Walt Disney's Obsession with Details: Garbage Cans and Ride Times 25:42 Building for Human Beings, Not Bottom Lines 26:27 One Financial Meeting a Year: The Long Game 27:21 Fear of Irrelevance: Staying Emotionally Connected 27:59 The Yellow Tuxedo: Permission to Have Fun 33:41 Why Now? Disconnection and the Hunger for Human Connection 45:58 Pricing Philosophy: Keep It Accessible, Find Other Ways 50:24 Calling Every Fan to Say Thank You 51:23 Fan Story: The Father with Seven Kids 53:47 Jesse's Childhood: From Shy Kid to Entertainer 54:55 Swing Hard in Case You Hit It: A Life Philosophy 57:41 The Story of Reggie: Everyone Wants to Feel Part of Something 1:01:35 Becoming Lee Smith: Sitting Next to the Lonely Kid + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

Simon SinekhostJesse Coleguest

Apr 13, 20261h 5mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

How Savannah Bananas engineered joy-first baseball with relentless experimentation

Jesse Cole explains that the Bananas were born from putting themselves in non-baseball fans’ shoes and treating baseball as a canvas for a live “show” that removes boredom and maximizes joy.
The organization operates with Disney-like control of end-to-end experience and detail (from upper-deck engagement to food pricing), believing remarkable experiences are the best marketing.
Cole describes a culture of constant experimentation—trying 15–20 new things nightly and debriefing with “Learn, Change, Plus”—to keep the product from getting stale.
Players and staff are positioned as co-creators of belonging, often coming from rejection in traditional paths and finding renewed identity and purpose through entertaining while competing for real wins.
The Bananas’ growth strategy prioritizes long-term fandom and accessibility (face-value ticketing, free YouTube games, limited sponsorship dependence) over maximizing short-term revenue.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Design for the least-privileged seat, not the best one.

The Bananas repeatedly “win the upper deck” by spending time in nosebleeds, staging interactions there, and ensuring distance/price never equals a lesser emotional experience—an approach Simon contrasts with airlines’ neglect of economy class.

Make the product so remarkable that marketing becomes documentation.

Cole claims they spend “zero dollars marketing,” instead investing in moments worth sharing and then capturing them for social; the experience itself drives word-of-mouth and growth.

Treat your offering as a living show that is never finished.

Borrowing Disney’s “plus the show,” the team runs nightly innovation with 15–20 new bits and an LCP report after every game to iterate fast without losing the core purpose.

Be explicit about who you are not for.

Cole says the Bananas are not for baseball traditionalists; clarity about the target audience (families and fun-seekers) enables bold rule-breaking and consistent decision-making.

Optimize for how people feel when they leave, not just what they consumed.

Cole doesn’t want fans to leave devastated after a loss; the model prioritizes togetherness, joy, and feeling seen—ending with rituals like singing “Stand By Me.”

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Win the upper deck.

— Jesse Cole

Every night is someone’s first show.

— Jesse Cole

We invest everything in the experience, and we capture that and share that.

— Jesse Cole

I’m in one financial meeting a year. It’s less than two hours.

— Jesse Cole

Only at Disneyland… we can only see a father and his son.

— Simon Sinek

Fans First operating standard“Win the upper deck” experience designDisney/PT Barnum inspiration and promotionConstant experimentation (Learn, Change, Plus)Competing with Netflix/video games for attentionPlayer identity, rejection, and second chancesAccessible pricing and resisting profit-maximization

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