869 · How Disney Magic Changed Baseball - Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas
WDW Radio: Your Guide to the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!
Lou Mongello - Disney Expert
4.8 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 8 June 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
869 · How Disney Magic Changed Baseball - Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas
What happens when someone takes Walt Disney's philosophy and applies it far beyond Disney?
In this episode, I sit down with Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas and creator of Banana Ball, during their sold-out appearance at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports. What began as a conversation about baseball quickly became something much deeper.
Jesse shares how Disney shaped him as a child, the unforgettable Typhoon Lagoon experience that still influences his leadership today, and why Walt Disney's principles of innovation, storytelling, attention to detail, and relentless "plussing" have become foundational to Banana Ball's explosive success. We also hear from Disney Sports Vice President Adam Ball about why Banana Ball and Disney make such a natural fit.
This conversation isn't about baseball.
It's about creating unforgettable experiences, embracing criticism, taking bold risks, building culture, and putting people first.
Whether you're a Disney fan, entrepreneur, creator, leader, or someone pursuing a dream, the lessons in this episode are powerful, practical, and deeply inspiring.
In this episode you'll discover:
- How Disney influenced Jesse Cole's vision
- The surprising connection between Walt Disney and Banana Ball
- Why fan-first thinking changes everything
- The importance of "plussing" every experience
- Lessons in leadership, innovation, and resilience
- Why criticism may be a sign you're doing something meaningful
Jesse Cole - Instagram
The Savannah Bananas - Instagram - YouTube
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We've gathered here tonight around the fire. |
| 0:05.0 | We are now conducting our final systems check. |
| 0:09.0 | Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions. |
| 0:18.0 | Only ghost stories, of course. All right, W. |
| 0:35.1 | W. |
| 0:35.5 | W. |
| 0:36.2 | Radio, your, three. W. VW. Radio. |
| 0:38.0 | Your information station. |
| 0:42.8 | There's a man who wears a bright yellow tuxedo. |
| 0:47.3 | Every single day, to airports, to conferences, to baseball games, everywhere. |
| 0:54.0 | And the first time I saw him walk in a room at a conference, I thought, okay, here's a guy, |
| 0:58.6 | he's just looking for attention, here's a guy who figured out that the yellow suit is his |
| 1:03.3 | thing. |
| 1:04.5 | And then I watched him get on stage and speak, and everything changed. |
| 1:09.3 | Because Jesse Cole doesn't wear the yellow tuxedo to get noticed, he wears it because |
| 1:14.2 | it's exactly who he is. |
| 1:16.5 | It is the most authentic version of himself, just amplified, and the philosophy underneath |
| 1:21.9 | it about fans first, joy always, plus the experience every single day it is the most Disney |
| 1:28.3 | philosophy I've ever encountered outside of Walt Disney world and I think Walt |
| 1:33.2 | Disney himself would be very proud Jesse Cole is the founder of the Savannah |
| 1:37.8 | Bananas and the creator of Banana Ball the most entertaining innovative most |
| 1:43.1 | fan-first experience in all of professional sports. |
... |
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