Bananas Foster and the Power of Moments
I wrote earlier this year about our family’s experience attending a sold-out Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. 47,000 fans filled the stands – one of two straight sold-out nights in Seattle. It’s pretty incredible for what is essentially a minor league exhibition team.
But the Bananas are so much more.
The Savannah Bananas have 3.6 million on their waitlist for tickets. They have more followers on TikTok than Major League Baseball. As of the night we saw them in September, the Bananas had played in front of 2.2 million fans so far in 2025.
I summed up our experience this way –
I never thought I would see the day that my girls would be THRILLED to go to a baseball game. Well, never say never because last night was a revelation in experience. If you can get a family who collectively has watched ONE baseball game in the past decade to get out to a game, you are doing something right, @yellowtuxjesse. 💛🙌🙏
I can also no longer say that I’ve never cried at a baseball game, thanks to a particularly heartfelt moment.
In fact, it was such a powerful moment that is the topic of today’s Wave Report, because I think in this season we can all learn from the Savannah Bananas about the power of creating moments.
Bananas Foster and the Power of Moments
While we were enjoying the game, Emily Cole, co-owner of the Bananas and wife of founder Jesse Cole, came onto the field and began to share the story of a local family that has fostered for years, bringing dozens of children into their home and adopting others.
She spoke about the power of family, and of foster care.
She then invited the featured foster family, a local Seattle family, onto the field to be honored.
If the moment had stopped there, it would have been a nice moment, like you might expect at any baseball game between innings. But not at a Bananas game…
What happened next brought tears to my eyes.
Both teams cleared the benches and converged on this family in the center of the infield, embracing the family with hugs, while 47,000 fans stood to their feet and cheered them on with thunderous applause.
I doubt I was the only one without dry eyes in the house. 🥹
But don’t take my word for it – you can watch for yourself:
Above: Watch the Savannah Bananas honor and celebrate a foster family at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, part of Bananas Foster, focused on “celebrating the foster care community, while educating and inspiring others to get involved.”
Dan and Chip Heath write in The Power of Moments that, as humans, we are wired to remember four types of moments – peak moments, pit moments, milestones, and transitions.
Talk about a peak moment. And not just for this foster family, but for me, my family, and 47,000 others in the stadium.
I also couldn’t help but notice the mobile call-to-action that flashed all over the park: “Text BANANAS to 50155 to support Bananas Foster!” I sent a quick text and got a quick response with a link to give to support the organization:
The Bananas are an entertainment company. So, why do something like this at all? Why shine a light on the cause of foster care?
I think Jesse describes it best in this clip:
Above: Jesse Cole on Bananas Foster and the power of celebrating foster families.
For the founders Jesse and Emily Cole, it’s personal. In 2020, they became a licensed foster family, a decision that they said “would truly change their life.”
The Bananas Foster website continues, “They knew they’d only be able to bring so many children into their own home, but they kept grasping at the idea that the Savannah Bananas could use their platform to make a real difference in the foster care community.”
So Bananas Foster was born.
And now hundreds of peak moments have been created at packed stadiums all over the country, shining a light on the cause of foster care, raising awareness, inspiring action, and creating powerful moments for quite literally millions of people.
Now think about your cause, your organization.
How are you tapping into the power of moments? What kinds of live event opportunities can you leverage to curate powerful moments?
💡 Takeaway: Powerful moments can change lives, inspire action, and lead to long-term change. Consider what settings you might have or be able to create to create the conditions for a powerful moment that inspires individuals to step up and make an impact.
Until next week… Surf’s Up! 🌊
- Dave