Savannah Bananas Founder Reveals How They Came Up With Crazy Rules

How did the Savannah Bananas come up with all their crazy rules? Founder Jesse Cole revealed how on a podcast.

Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole talks to the fans after a game between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 10, 2025. / Camden Hall / For The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you have never watched or experienced a Savannah Bananas game, you got a lot to learn. The Bananas have all sorts of funky rules that have made the game such a memorable experience.

Bananas founder and owner Jesse Cole revealed how they came up with the crazy rules of Banana Ball.

Cole reveals they made games two hours as it would lead to the fans wanting more. With fans leaving early at MLB games even at two and a half hours, a two-hour games makes sure that almost every fan sticks it out the entire way. A 7pm game is over by 9pm.

Blow outs are avoided because it's only one point per inning. The game matters until the very end, because the final inning, every run is worth a point. So no matter how many points you are up or down, it can still come down to the final inning.

Fans catching foul balls for outs keeps fans involved and paying attention the entire game, including fans being able to challenge calls. That mixed with all the dance routines and contests between innings for fans has the entire experience keeping fans involved.

Cole and company have put themselves in the shoes of the fans and it has paid off. The team is selling out every stadium they play in and has a waitlist for tickets of over three million people. Clearly, Cole's conversations with his father and others have paid off.

In an era where attention spans seem to get shorter every day, two hours if the sweet spot to get people to come out, have a good time and then go home or do whatever they want to do next. They get to be a part of the game and every night, something different is going to happen.

The Bananas play next this weekend at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 3:30pm, taking on the Texas Tailgaters.

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