According to Forbes, the Savannah Bananas organization is worth around $500 million, which puts it about halfway to some MLB teams’ net worths.
The Bananas—and other teams within the same organization—will bring in more than $100 million in revenue this year, thanks mostly to merchandising and ticket sales. The organization will also turn a profit, whereas 11 MLB clubs operated at a loss last season, Forbes reported.
It’s possible the Bananas’ business could ripen even more. The organization is adding two new expansion teams that will allow for a longer league-type season.
Owner Jesse Cole said he’s been approached by interested parties valuing the organization at $1 billion. But he has no plans to part with the fruits of his labor anytime soon, saying he’s currently focused on fostering a good experience for the fans.
23 comments
the bananas sell out stadiums, the marlins…..
I bet they spend more than the Marlins do on players too.
Oh it would be my dream to work for the Savannah bananas
How the fuck are the Marlins worth a billion?
Sav bananas have more instagram followers than any mlb team
Edit: I was wrong, was true when I learned it ~2 years ago but not anymore
They’ll eventually be a billion dollar organization.
I thought it was a cool game/show. Only complaint is the music being blasted the entire game kind of makes it feel like you’re constantly between innings lol
Jesse Cole is the type you’d run through a wall for after hearing him speak. An absolute gem of a leader
Probably an overvaluation. Closest comparison is the Harlem Globetrotters which brings in ~50 mil/year but with AI estimating that the valuation of the brand is 100 mil. Double the revenue, but I think the Bananas are comparable and have a lot less brand recognition right now than the globetrotters to the average person.
Can respect them but not for me. I’d rather watch wiffle ball league.
It’s my understanding one group owns all the teams in this “league” so it’s not just one team with this value.
All they had to do was screw over the city of Savannah to get there.
Banana ball stinks on ice. I saw it in Anaheim and it was overly stimulating. Way too many distractions and subpar baseball. I noticed kids were on their phones about half way through
Reminds me of the barnstorming days of old in the fall in baseball when Bob Feller and Satchel Paige would travel around and pitch against eachother in exhibition games pre MLB integration, some guys (especially the negro league players) made more money than during the season
Ya no way the Rockies are worth over 500m bananas or dollars
The what??
But why??? It’s so weird. I tried giving it a fair try but I just cringed the whole time
They spend more than half the league on roster construction so that makes sense
I’ve caught some games on their Youtube livestreams.
They are kinda awesome. Very entertaining. And talent is not on the backburner, they get rewarded for doing trick plays. If an audience member catches the ball it’s an Out.
Pretty cool stuff. A lot of mainstream folks feel baseball is often lacking in the entertainment department – it was inevitable that someone would try to capitalize on that.
But then watching Happy Gilmore 2 stung a bit. Seemed like an outright mockery.
It’s a fad. No one will be going again after they’ve seen their first one. They’ll be broke or in Branson in 10 years.
I don’t see this lasting more than a few years at this level. The hype is gonna die down. I’ve been wrong though.
It’s crazy how dumb it is too . I can’t understand how people actually go crazy about them lol