How Much are the Savannah Bananas Worth?

Forbes released their estimated value for the baseball team and it's an eye-popping number.

Savannah Banana owner Jesse Cole addresses the sold out crowd ahead of the Savannah Bananas game against the Texas Tailgaters Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. / Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When looking at success measured in dollars or value in the professional sports ranks the easiest and most valid example is America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. In 1989 the oil titan decided to dabble in his collegiate past time and purchase an iconic NFL brand right arewand though the NFL was growing in popularity it pales in comparison to the t tgrowth the NFL has seen in recent years. The NFL has seen consistent growth for some time now and that was even before the “Taylor” effect in KC, her fandom resulted in a 331 million dollar jump in value for her fiancé’s current employer. Looking back at the Tboom seen in Jerry’s World, he purchased the team in 1989 for just 140 million and today that franchise is worth a worlds best $13 billion! This increase over his initial investment represents a mind boggling 9,186% increase!

Obviously that was a masterclass in investment growth but there is no way to replicate that again, no way to achieve at a higher clip…right? Well I see your Dallas Cowboys and I raise you The Savannah Bananas. Where Jerry Jones is typically tastefully appointed in custom tailored business suits straight out of a Brooks Brothers or Armani ad, today’s version is Jesse Cole and you can find him rocking one of his seven completely yellow tuxedos and matching top hat. No way these two people or franchises parallel right? Wrong. In fact, Jesse is out dueling the only NFL owner/GM by an amazing spread. Where Jerry saw a 9,186% increase, Jesse boasts a nearly immeasurable 499,999% increase as his one time purchase of $100,000 team has now turned into a four (soon to be six) team league worth a half billion dollars according to Forbes!

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The wild thing is how do you achieve this? It’s a fans first mentality where Jesse and his disciples are not worried about terms like profit or revenue, they are worried about fans. The concept at it’s core is to get a billion fans. We all know how unconventional the game play is with TikTok dances, trick plays and fan outs on foul balls, but is that what people want? In a word, yes.

Jesse Cole has these Bananas setting the world on fire and not with sponsorships, TV deals and apparel deals. He could scoop tens of millions of dollars per year on these deals but that would begin to compromise the brand and at the core of the brand, fans are first. No matter the value or the global impact one things seems to remain the same and that is Jesse and Emily Cole are passionate about bringing fans a level of joy that is difficult to put a price on.