Walt Would Be Proud
The first time I saw Jesse Cole walk into a room, I thought I knew exactly what I was looking at. Bright yellow tuxedo. Top hat. Big energy. A guy who had figured out his brand.
And then I heard him speak. And everything changed.
Because Jesse Cole does not wear the yellow tuxedo as a gimmick. He wears it because it is the most authentic version of himself that he can put into the world – amplified, unapologetic, and completely committed. And the philosophy underneath it – fans first, joy always, plus the experience every single day, never stop learning from the night before – is the most genuinely Disneyesque philosophy I have encountered in years.
Jesse Cole is the founder of the Savannah Bananas and the creator of Banana Ball – the most entertaining, most innovative, most fan-obsessed experience in professional sports right now. He is selling out NFL stadiums. He has a waitlist that stretches years. He just brought the show to ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World, where it played to packed houses of 10,000 people night after night.
And in this conversation, recorded live at ESPN Wide World of Sports, he told me things about Walt Disney – about how Walt shaped him, inspired him, and gave him permission to take chances when every single person around him said it was going to fail – that I did not expect.
This is a different kind of WDW Radio episode. It is part sports story, part Disney philosophy deep dive, and part something I hope stays with you long after the episode ends.
Walt would be very proud.
Episode Snapshot
Episode: WDW Radio Show #869 Featured Guest: Jesse Cole – Founder, Savannah Bananas / Creator, Banana Ball Supporting Interview: Adam Ball – Vice President, Disney Sports / ESPN Wide World of Sports Topics Covered: Banana Ball at ESPN Wide World of Sports, Jesse Cole Walt Disney philosophy, fans-first approach, plussing the experience, Snow White and taking chances, Savannah Bananas origin story, Jesse Cole yellow tuxedo, Typhoon Lagoon Big Kahuna story, Banana Ball vs. traditional sports, do for one what you wish you could do for many, WDW Radio Disneyland community event, Alaska cruise, Apple Podcasts review giveaway, Shanghai Disneyland 10th anniversary Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | WDWRadio.com
What You Will Discover in This Episode
- Why Jesse Cole says Banana Ball and Walt Disney World are a perfect marriage – and what they genuinely have in common at their core
- The childhood Disney memory that shaped Jesse’s entire philosophy – and the Typhoon Lagoon Big Kahuna story you will not forget
- How Jesse used Walt Disney as a blueprint when everyone told him Banana Ball was going to fail
- Walt’s philosophy that gave Jesse permission to believe – even when he could not make payroll and was grocery shopping on $30 a week
- What Walt Disney and Banana Ball have in common when it comes to controlling the experience from start to finish
- Why Jesse says the sports world leaves too much to chance – and how Banana Ball fixes that the way Walt would have
- The “do for one what you wish you could do for many” philosophy that drives every single Banana Ball show
- How Jesse built a culture around belief – and why he says it starts with one person willing to take the leap
- What Jesse said about Snow White, Disney’s Folly, and why criticism is actually a gift
- Why Jesse never said the word “I” in our entire conversation – and what that tells you about his leadership
- Adam Ball on why Banana Ball and ESPN Wide World of Sports are the perfect fit for Disney guests
- What Banana Ball adds to a Walt Disney World vacation that you truly cannot get anywhere else
- Where Jesse sees Banana Ball going – including the possibility of a Banana Ball theme park
- Why Lou believes Jesse Cole is one of the most genuinely Walt-like figures in American entertainment today
- The lessons from Jesse’s philosophy that apply to every single person building something – and the direct connection to Momentum Weekend
Timestamps
- [00:00] – Cold open
- [01:45] – Introduction and context: Banana Ball at ESPN Wide World of Sports
- [03:30] – First look at the venue – what 10,000 packed fans at Wide World of Sports looks like
- [05:00] – Interview with Adam Ball, VP of Disney Sports – why this partnership makes total sense
- [06:30] – Adam on the fan-first parallel between Disney and Banana Ball
- [08:00] – Adam on what guests can experience at Wide World of Sports year-round
- [09:45] – Jesse Cole interview begins
- [10:15] – Jesse on why Banana Ball and Walt Disney World are a perfect marriage
- [11:30] – The rope drop, the plaza experience, the march, the post-game party – Jesse on building the full story
- [13:00] – Walt’s philosophy: if you lose the detail, you lose it all
- [14:20] – Jesse on growing up going to Disney as a kid – the core memories that never fade
- [16:00] – The Typhoon Lagoon Big Kahuna story – and how it shaped the Banana Ball philosophy
- [18:30] – “Do for one what you wish you could do for many” – what that looks like every Banana Ball night
- [20:15] – How Jesse started with nothing – selling two tickets, grocery shopping on $30 a week
- [22:00] – Building culture from zero – convincing the first players to sing and dance
- [24:10] – Starts with one – how a movement begins and why that matters
- [26:00] – Selling out Savannah, then leaving it all behind to build Banana Ball – and why Walt gave him permission
- [28:15] – Snow White was Disney’s Folly – and what that means for anyone building something new
- [30:00] – “Belief can overcome anything” – Jesse on Walt and the courage to push
- [32:00] – The yellow tuxedo – the honest truth about what it felt like the first time
- [34:30] – Being willing to be misunderstood – and why that is required if you are doing something real
- [36:00] – Walt Disney World lets people be kids again – and so does Banana Ball
- [38:00] – Controlling the experience vs. leaving it to chance – the single biggest difference between Banana Ball and traditional sports
- [40:15] – Taking a swing for the fans – why Jesse does not think about competitors
- [42:00] – The broadcast gap – investing $13 million and still not being there yet
- [44:00] – Handling criticism and the long game – focused on the next quarter century, not the next quarter
- [46:15] – Jesse never said “I” once – what that tells you about his leadership and culture
- [47:30] – Where is Banana Ball going – and why a theme park might not be crazy
- [49:45] – Lou’s reflection: why Jesse Cole is one of the most genuinely Walt-like figures in entertainment today
- [51:30] – The connection to Momentum Weekend – applying this philosophy to what you are building
- [53:00] – Trivia contest – last week’s answer and this week’s question
- [55:30] – Apple Podcasts review giveaway – rate and review by June 22 to win a Disney prize package
- [57:00] – ANNOUNCEMENT: WDW Radio Community Event at Disneyland, October 25-29, 2026 – exclusive Oogie Boogie Bash VIP access and dinner at 21 Royale
- [59:30] – ANNOUNCEMENT: Lou heads to Shanghai Disneyland for the 10th anniversary – follow @LouMongello on Instagram. No new episode the week of June 15.
- [01:01:00] – ANNOUNCEMENT: WDW Radio Group Cruise to Alaska – Disney Wonder, May 10-17, 2027
- [01:03:00] – Momentum Weekend Workshop at Walt Disney World – October details
- [01:05:00] – Mouse Fan Travel outro and closing
The Full Story
Why This Conversation Belongs on WDW Radio
A lot of people would hear “Savannah Bananas” and wonder what this has to do with Disney. Here is the answer: everything.
Jesse Cole did not accidentally build something that resembles the Disney experience. He studied it. He referenced Walt constantly – in speeches, in his books, in private conversations with his team. Walt Disney is not a casual inspiration for Jesse Cole. Walt is a blueprint.
And what makes this episode genuinely special is that Jesse showed up at Walt Disney World – at ESPN Wide World of Sports, which is as Disney as it gets in the sports world – and said clearly and without hesitation that this is the perfect marriage. Not as marketing language. As a statement of shared philosophy.
The fans-first approach. The obsession with plussing the experience the morning after every show. The post-game plaza party because the last impression leaves a lasting impression. The rope drop. The march. The music from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. The cast members – Banana Ball calls their players and staff exactly that – who stay after the show to sign every autograph and say goodbye to every fan.
That is Disney. And Jesse built it because Disney showed him it was possible.
The Typhoon Lagoon Story
Jesse’s family took him to Walt Disney World for about a five-year stretch when he was a kid – and those trips became core memories that never faded. The scale, the joy, the music, the details that you feel without being able to name them. He has been chasing that feeling ever since.
But one specific story has shaped the entire Banana Ball philosophy. As a kid at Typhoon Lagoon, Jesse watched a cast member come out and ask trivia questions about the park. A family answered them all correctly and was crowned the Big Kahuna – given a medallion and allowed into the park before anyone else, first on every ride.
Jesse was stunned. He went home and told his dad: we are coming back tomorrow, and I am going to be the Big Kahuna. He studied. He learned. And the next day, he answered every question, got the medallion, and found the four best seats in the house – a corner spot overlooking the wave pool. He ran every ride before anyone else arrived.
That moment – being made to feel like the king, like the most important person in the park, because a cast member took the time to create that experience – became the seed of everything. “Do for one what you wish you could do for many.” That is the Banana Ball promise every single night.
Building from Nothing
What people do not see when they watch Banana Ball in a sold-out NFL stadium is where it started. When Jesse named the team the Savannah Bananas, they were criticized immediately. They sold two tickets in the beginning. They grocery shopped on $30 a week. They emptied their savings account and sold their house.
Getting players was nearly impossible. Very few wanted to play for a team with that name, with that concept, asking them to sing and dance on a baseball field. Jesse’s answer to that was simple: it starts with one. You need one person willing to take the leap. Then a few more see what happens when that person does – how the fans respond, how the connection forms, how much fun it actually is – and a few more join. That is how a movement begins.
He drew directly on Walt for this. Snow White was called Disney’s Folly. Walt’s wife and his brother thought the theme park was crazy. Everyone said it was going to fail. Walt saw something they did not, pushed through, and the result speaks for itself across 70 years of Disney history.
Jesse used that as permission. If Walt could believe in a thing unquestionably – and Walt’s own words are almost exactly that – then Jesse could too. Even when he could not make payroll.
The Yellow Tuxedo
One of the most honest moments in our conversation came when Lou asked Jesse what it really felt like the first time he put on the yellow tuxedo and walked into a conference room full of people in name tags and lanyards.
Jesse’s answer: he knew people were going to think he was just another guy doing a thing to get noticed. He knew. And he went anyway. Because it was authentic. It was the most complete version of who he actually is, amplified. He was not dressing for attention. He was dressing for truth.
And now he sees kids and adults showing up to Banana Ball games in full yellow tuxedos. He does not know where they are all getting them. But the point is: permission. Jesse gave people permission to be the full, unapologetic, joyful version of themselves. And they took it.
That is what Walt Disney World does too. You can show up in a princess dress or a Star Wars costume or Mickey ears and nobody bats an eye. You get to be a kid again. Jesse said it directly: that is what makes him so proud to be here with Disney. We all get to be kids again.
Controlling the Experience
The line Jesse said that stopped Lou cold: what Walt Disney was tremendous about is he focused on controlling the experience from the moment you walk in – the smells, the sounds, everything. He did not leave that to chance. Sports leaves it to chance so often.
That is the entire Banana Ball philosophy in two sentences. Traditional sports says: we hope it is a great game. We hope the weather holds. We hope the team plays well. And if none of that happens, we are sorry you spent the money.
Banana Ball says: it does not matter what happens on the field. It does not matter if we get three hours of storms, which they did the first night at Wide World of Sports. You are going to have the best night of your life. Because the experience is not dependent on the score. It is not dependent on anything that cannot be controlled. Everything that can be controlled – will be controlled. And it will be extraordinary.
Walt built that. Jesse built that. And both of them have the results to prove it.
The Long Game
Jesse’s response to criticism – and there has been a lot of it – is worth sitting with. He loves it. Not because he enjoys conflict, but because it means he is doing something that matters. The people who get criticized are the people who are actually doing something. If you want to avoid criticism, stay in bed. If you want to get criticized, go build something nobody has built before.
And his timeline is different from most people’s timelines. He is not thinking about the next quarter. He is thinking about the next quarter century. Walt did not build Disneyland for a few years. He was already thinking about EPCOT – a city of tomorrow – while the park was still being built. He was so far ahead of his time that it took decades for the world to catch up.
Jesse is playing that same game. Banana Ball has been called a fad. Its 15 minutes have been declared over many times. Jesse reads those comments. Files them away. And shows up again the next day in the yellow tuxedo.
The Word He Never Said
Lou noticed something near the end of the conversation. In the entire interview, Jesse never said the word “I” when talking about what Banana Ball has accomplished. Not once. Everything was framed around the fans, the players, the team, the people who took the first leap with him.
When Lou pointed it out, Jesse did not hesitate: it is so much bigger than me. Everyone in the Banana Ball organization is driven by a singular purpose. Fans first. Put the fans first and everything else takes care of itself. That will never change.
Walt did not build Disneyland alone either. He built a team of people who believed in something bigger than themselves and worked like it mattered. Because it did.
Adam Ball – The Disney Sports Perspective
Adam Ball, VP of Disney Sports, made the case from the ESPN Wide World of Sports side of the equation. The complex runs events all year – runDisney races across four weekends, Major League Pickleball with the Orlando Squeeze, ESPN8: The Ocho in August, international soccer – and Banana Ball fits perfectly into that lineup because it brings something that venue rarely sees: five hours before a baseball game, people are already lining up to get in. After the game ends, thousands of fans are still in the plaza, nobody wanting to leave.
That energy – arriving early, staying late, still buzzing when it is over – is exactly the Disney energy. Guests arrive before rope drop. They stay through fireworks. They do not want it to end. Adam noted it simply: we loved how early everybody came and how long they stayed.
Adding Banana Ball to a Walt Disney World vacation creates a memory – a specifically shaped, emotionally charged memory – that is different from anything else you can do on property. And for many guests, it is their very first encounter with ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The Connection to What You Are Building
Jesse Cole built Banana Ball on a set of principles that are worth writing down:
Fans first – not revenue first, not growth first, not competitor first. Fans first.
Plus the experience every single day – take notes after every show, be back at work two hours before anyone else, find the thing that can be a little better.
Belief can overcome anything – if you believe in a thing unquestionably, you can push through everything that says it is impossible.
Do for one what you wish you could do for many – do not wait until you can do it for everyone. Do it for this person, tonight, right now.
Control everything that can be controlled – do not leave the experience to chance. Every smell, every sound, every transition, every last impression.
The last impression leaves a lasting impression – Walt knew it. Jesse knows it. And it is true in everything we build.
These principles apply far beyond baseball and theme parks. They apply to whatever you are building – your business, your creative work, your podcast, your brand, your community. And they are exactly what we dig into together at Momentum Weekend.
If Jesse Cole’s story fired something up in you today – if you heard something in this conversation that made you think about your own work differently – I want to invite you to join us this October at Walt Disney World. We will do this together. Details are at LouMongello.com.
Announcements
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Lou Is Heading to Shanghai Disneyland – Follow Along Live
This week Lou is traveling to Shanghai Disneyland for their 10th anniversary celebration – and stopping at Hong Kong Disneyland on the way back. There will be no new episode the week of June 15, but follow @LouMongello on Instagram for real-time photos, videos, and live updates from both parks as they happen. You will not want to miss it.
WDW Radio Community Event at Disneyland – October 25-29, 2026
This is going to be something very special – and very limited. The WDW Radio community is coming together at the Disneyland Resort October 25-29, 2026 for an exclusive community experience unlike anything we have done before. We have secured tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure along with an exclusive VIP area reserved just for WDW Radio community members. And we are hosting a remarkable dinner at 21 Royale – one of the most unique and coveted private dining experiences at the Disneyland Resort. Spots will be extremely limited.
WDW Radio Group Cruise to Alaska – Disney Wonder, May 10-17, 2027
The WDW Radio Alaska cruise is happening – and there are still spots available. We are sailing on the Disney Wonder from Vancouver, with stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, glacier viewing, and two days at sea. This is a bucket-list trip on a Disney ship with the WDW Radio community. Details and booking at WDWRadio.com/Alaska2027 through Mouse Fan Travel.
Momentum Weekend Workshop at Walt Disney World – October 2026
Momentum Weekend is Lou’s annual immersive workshop at Walt Disney World – two and a half days of strategy, storytelling, community, and real work on the thing you are building. If Jesse Cole’s story fired something up in you, Momentum is where we go deeper. Details at LouMongello.com.
Join the Community and Conversation
Now I want to hear from you…
Have you seen Banana Ball – either at Walt Disney World or anywhere else? What was your experience like? And what from Jesse Cole’s philosophy hit you the hardest today?
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Join us on our WDW Radio Cruise to Alaska 2027!
I promised you a special announcement… and I wasn’t kidding. and this is one I am SO excited about this.
So no fluff, no tease, no build up.
We are going back… to Alaska.
I’m talking about our next WDW Radio Group Cruise – seven nights aboard my absolute favorite ship, the Disney Wonder, sailing May 10th through the 17th, 2027, roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia (one of my favorite cities).
This is my favorite cruise itinerary in the world. Glaciers. Bald eagles. Humpback whales. The gold rush history of Skagway, the stunning capital city of Juneau, and the totem poles and fjords of Ketchikan, PLUS a glacier viewing day, and two days at sea – all wrapped in the magic that only the Disney Wonder can deliver.
And here’s what makes a WDW Radio group cruise different: it’s not just a cruise. It’s our cruise. It’s experiencing all of this – together, as a community and a family. That’s something you simply can’t recreate on your own.
The best part? Joining our group costs you nothing extra. You pay for your cruise – and everything that comes with sailing on the Disney Wonder – and you’re part of it.
And if you’ve sailed with us before, you already know – we always have a few surprises up our sleeves. There is so much that we experience and share together onboard, and everyone who joins us gets some exclusive surprises just for being part of our group. We’re talking contests, giveaways… and honestly, there’s more that I’m just not ready to share yet. You’ll have to trust me on that one.
But here’s what I need you to know: space is limited, and this ship will fill up fast. And the sooner you book, the lower your rate – prices only go up from here.
All bookings must go through our exclusive travel partner, Mouse Fan Travel. Head to WDWRadio.com/Alaska2027 right now for a free, no-obligation quote. It takes just a minute, and it could be the start of the adventure of a lifetime.
I’ll see you in Alaska.
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At LouMongello.com, Lou helps creators, entrepreneurs, and organizations discover how to build better businesses and stronger communities through the power of story, service, and purpose.
As a keynote speaker, Lou delivers inspiring and actionable presentations that teach how to create unforgettable experiences, deepen relationships, and drive results. His signature talks include:
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Through his Momentum series of events, retreats, workshops, and mastermind programs, Lou helps solopreneurs and creators turn what they love into what they do by gaining clarity, confidence, and connection.
He also offers 1:1 coaching and mentoring for individuals who want practical and personalized guidance to grow their brand, audience, and revenue while staying true to their values.
Lou’s content, podcasts, live shows, and community reach hundreds of thousands of passionate Disney fans and entrepreneurs every month. His unique approach blends decades of business experience, the timeless wisdom of Walt Disney, and proven strategies for building lasting relationships, customer loyalty, and brand trust.
Whether speaking on stage, teaching at Momentum, or coaching one-on-one, Lou’s mission is simple: to help you create magic in your business, your content, and your life.
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🙏 Thank You!
Thank you, as always, for being part of the WDW Radio family. Remember to choose the good, be kind, and stay hungry! Until next time – See ya real soon!
