It’s likely you’ve heard of the Savannah Bananas – baseball’s version (of a sort) of the Harlem Globetrotters. Originally started as a Texas-based summer college baseball team, the Bananas are about as far from the traditional game as you could get.
And that’s exactly how owner Jesse Cole wants it.
Called “The Greatest Show in Sports,” the bright yellow uniformed players don’t just throw, hit, and field – they also dance, do flips, and are even threatening to take the field via parachute after skydiving from an airplane. They’re an exhibition team who puts on highly choreographed stunts in the midst of playing baseball – and they’re doing it all these days in front of massive, sold-out stadiums.
“We don’t sell tickets,” says Jesse Cole. “We create memories.”
For fans, those memories include attending games with family and friends consisting of multiple generations. It’s watching the world’s only breakdancing first base coach, and taking in the “Banana Nanas,” a senior citizen dance team, and the “Banana Splitz,” a youth dance team.
Then there’s the “Banana Baby” – a cute-as-a-button infant from the area that’s spotlighted each game and wears … wait, you guessed it – a banana costume.
You might think that Jesse Cole and his squad are exhibitionists obsessed with putting on entertaining exhibitions – but that would be only partially true.
Jesse and his wife, Emily, feel an intense obligation to use their platform for good – including allowing Banana players to openly express their convictions regarding how critical it is for followers of Jesus to put feet to their faith.
The Bananas’ Robert Anthony Cruz recently talked about how many on the team gather for a weekly Bible study.
“There’s nothing that crazy happening here — we are just broken people who find great joy and peace and rest knowing that our lives are not about us,” he said. “The world doesn’t revolve around us. Speaking for myself, the more the spotlight is put on me, the more I realize the spotlight is meant to be put on the Giver of all things.”
He then added, “May Christ be magnified.”
That commitment to openness and service has led the Coles to launch “Bananas Foster” – a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging families to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider becoming foster parents.
The Coles, who are licensed foster parents themselves in addition to having one biological son, have adopted two girls. “The goal of foster care is to just walk alongside these kids and these families until they can reunify safely with their biological family,” said Emily.
But because that often doesn’t happen, there are lots of children in a desperate need of a stable, forever family. Given the Coles’ familiarity with the foster care system, Emily possesses a burning desire to highlight what Focus on the Family’s “Wait No More”ministry has been communicating for years:
In America today, there are over 400,000 children in foster care, and over 100,000 of them are available for adoption.
“The longer we wait [to do something], the longer these kids will wait,” says Emily. “Adoption had always been on my heart. I don’t know one specific reason why. It just always felt like if I had room in the house or love to give, why not welcome somebody in who needed that?”
Talking recently with podcaster Graham Bensinger, Emily shared some background on the Savannah Bananas’ decision to begin encouraging fans to foster and adopt.
“I think when companies get to a position where they have a platform as large as we’ve been fortunate to get with the Bananas, it comes along with the responsibility to do good in the world,” she said. “And so, of course, Jesse comes up with the best name in the middle of the night: ‘Bananas Foster.’ He literally wakes me up and says, ‘I’ve got the name!’ We’ve been talking about wanting to marry these things.”
“Bananas Foster” is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gets talked about at every game. Thousands of fans have responded. Many have not only signed up to be foster parents, but hundreds have begun the adoption process.
“What if in 10, 20, 30 years, there’s a waitlist in this country of people that want to be foster families?” Jesse said. “And I believe we can do it.”
Families that have chosen to foster children are featured at every Bananas game, and after being introduced receive a standing ovation.
“We’re creating joy every night for people, but we know about this need in foster care,” reflected Emily. “Fortunately, we have this platform now, that we saw an opportunity to be able to use our platform to talk about something that is a topic in society that’s not touched on a lot.”
Anybody who has watched the intentionality of the Savannah Bananas and has witnessed the determination of Jesse Cole, knows the ball club will follow through on their promise and commitment to help find forever homes for children in the foster care system.
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