The Savannah Bananas chose people over profits.
The quirky independent baseball team, known for its team dances and unique “Banana Ball” take on the game, was offered $1 million to purchase “a large amount of group tickets for every single game on our 2023 tour and buy them from us at twice our price of $25,” according to team owner Jesse Cole.
Cole wrote that he immediately rejected the order, which would have “produced a half a million dollars in extra profit” for the Bananas.
“Since Day 1, we’ve prided ourselves in creating an experience that is fans first,” Cole wrote. “We’ve eliminated all ticket fees, service fees, convenience fees and even paid the taxes for our fans for every single order.”
The team is preparing to embark on a seven-month, 33-city ‘Banana Ball World Tour’ across 22 states, and has a ticket waitlist nearing 500,000 people. They will play a three-game series in March against the MLB Players Alumni Association.
