Fan Experience Over Competition: The Future of Sports Business

The Savannah Bananas have a 3-million-person waitlist.

Not for the World Series. Not for an Olympic final. For a made-up baseball league with goofy rules and guys doing backflips.

Sold Out

Every game

Ad spend

$50M+

Annual revenue

And here's the crazy part: Most fans don't even know who won the game.

Because the Bananas don't sell competition. They sell entertainment.

And if you run any kind of sports business—leagues, tournaments, training programs, facilities—this model is coming for you.

The Old Model: Competition Is the Product

Traditional sports business 101: The product is winning.

The Logic:

• People want to watch greatness
• Competition creates drama
• Winners attract fans
• Fans pay to see winners

The Yankees won → fans showed up. The Patriots won → fans showed up. LeBron won → fans showed up.

But here's the problem: Competition Creates Scarcity

Only 1 team wins the championship. Only 1 player wins MVP. Only 1 kid makes the elite team. Everyone else loses.

For fans:

• Team goes 4-12 → stop watching
• Team eliminated → season's over
• No playoff berth → no reason to care

For participants (youth sports):

• Kid sits the bench → stop showing up
• Team gets blown out 10-0 → kids quit
• No trophies → "What was the point?"

The business problem: If competition is the product, you're only serving winners. And winners are rare.

The New Model: Entertainment Is the Product

The Banana Ball insight:

Most people don't care who wins. They care about having fun, feeling included, creating memories, and being part of something.

So the Bananas redesigned the entire experience around one question:

"Did you leave happy?"

Not "Did your team win?" — Just: Did you leave happy?

Because every game has dance-offs, every fan gets autographs, every moment is shareable, every ticket is affordable.

The product isn't baseball. The product is an experience you want to repeat.

Why Entertainment Beats Competition (Business Edition)

Let's talk dollars.

Competition Model Revenue = Scarce

You make money when:

• Your team wins (championship merch, playoff tickets)
• Your star performs (jersey sales)
• Your brand is elite (premium pricing)

Revenue is tied to results. If you lose → revenue tanks.

Entertainment Model Revenue = Scalable

You make money when:

• Fans have a good time (they come back)
• Every participant feels valued (retention up)
• Experiences are shareable (word-of-mouth)

Revenue is tied to experience. Win or lose → fans still buy.

Metric	Competition Model	Entertainment Model
Revenue driver	Winning	Experience
Customer base	Winners only	Everyone
Retention	Volatile (result-dependent)	Stable (experience-dependent)
Growth	Limited (scarcity)	Scalable (inclusivity)
Marketing cost	High (compete for attention)	Low (fans do it for you)

Bottom line: Entertainment scales. Competition doesn't.

How to Build Entertainment Into Your Sports Business

Okay, so how do you actually do this? Here's the playbook:

1. Redefine Success

Competition Model

Success = winning

Entertainment Model

Success = fun

Stop asking: "Did we win?" Start asking: "Did people leave happy?"

Tactical shift:

• Track retention rates (not win-loss records)
• Survey parents: "Would you sign up again?"
• Measure engagement (kids smiling, parents not yelling)

2. Design Moments, Not Just Games

The game is the vehicle for moments. Everything else is the product.

Build micro-experiences into every event:

• Pregame: Walk-up music for every player (kids pick their song)
• Halftime: Dance-off, trivia, fan challenges
• Postgame: Awards for non-sports stuff (best celebration, funniest moment)

Goal: Every kid gets a "moment." Not just the stars.

3. Make It Shareable

Turn every event into content. Great plays, funny moments, every game = content gold mine.

Tools:

• iPhone + tripod
• 1-2 minute highlight reel (post same day)
• Tag families (they'll share it)
• Create a TikTok account for your league

Result: Parents become your marketing team.

4. Eliminate Gatekeeping

Stop optimizing for the top 10%. Optimize for the top 100%.

For youth sports:

• Equal playing time (no benchwarmers)
• No cuts (everyone makes the team)
• No "A team" vs "B team" (just different groups, equal value)

Why this works: Inclusivity = bigger market. The top 10% will always find somewhere to play. The other 90% are starving for a place that doesn't make them feel like losers.

5. Build Community, Not Rosters

Teams are communities. Families are members. Season ends → they stay connected.

Create off-field experiences:

• Post-game pizza hangouts (cheap, easy, builds bonds)
• Parent vs kids games (hilarious, builds culture)
• End-of-season party (not a banquet—a party)
• Private Facebook group (for fun moments, not just logistics)

Goal: Families don't just "sign up." They join a community they don't want to leave.

6. Measure Happiness, Not Results

Ignore:

• Win-loss record
• Tournament placements
• "Elite" team success

Track:

• % who re-enroll (target: 80%+)
• % who refer a friend (target: 40%+)
• Average rating (target: 4.5+)

Results don't predict retention. Happiness does.

Case Studies: Entertainment Wins

⚾ Savannah Bananas (Baseball)

Competition model: Win games, develop players. Entertainment model: Entertain fans, sell experiences.

Result: 3M waitlist, $50M revenue, zero ad spend

🏀 Harlem Globetrotters (Basketball)

Competition model: Play NBA teams, try to win. Entertainment model: Trick shots, comedy, fan interaction.

Result: 100-year brand, global tours, $100M+ revenue

🤼 WWE (Wrestling)

Competition model: Real fighting. Entertainment model: Scripted drama, characters, storylines.

Result: $1B+ revenue, mainstream cultural phenomenon

🏌️ Topgolf (Golf)

Competition model: Serious, skill-based. Entertainment model: Social golf—drink, eat, hit balls, have fun.

Result: $1.5B valuation, appeals to non-golfers

Pattern:

Entertainment models outgrow competition models because they serve a bigger market.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what traditional operators don't want to admit:

Most parents don't care if their kid wins. They care if their kid has fun, makes friends, stays active, and doesn't quit.

But we've built an industry around winning, rankings, scholarships, elite status.

Result: 70% of kids quit by age 13.

Because most kids aren't winners. And we've told them: "If you don't win, you don't matter."

The entertainment model says: "You matter because you showed up. Now let's have fun."

How to Transition: Competition → Entertainment

If you're running a traditional sports business, here's the roadmap:

Phase 1: Add Entertainment (Don't Remove Competition)

Layer entertainment into your existing model: add walk-up music, film highlights, create awards for effort. Test whether families respond.

Phase 2: Measure What Matters

Track retention, referrals, social shares. If they improve → double down. If not, you're in a hyper-competitive market—serve them, but know your lane.

Phase 3: Build a Second Product

Create an "entertainment-first" option alongside competitive. Example: Team A (competitive travel) + Team B (entertainment league). Both coexist. Different customers, different needs.

Phase 4: Let the Market Decide

Watch where growth happens. If entertainment grows faster → lean into it. If competitive stays strong → keep both. Let families vote with their wallets.

The Future: Entertainment Eats Everything

By 2030, every sports business will have two lanes:

Lane 1: Elite Competition

• High-level athletes
• Serious coaching
• Results-driven
• Small, niche market

Lane 2: Entertainment Sports

• Everyone welcome
• Fun-first culture
• Experience-driven
• Mass market

Most revenue will come from Lane 2. Because: bigger market (90% aren't elite athletes), higher retention (fun beats stress), better margins (entertainment scales).

The operators who survive will figure out: "We're not in the sports business. We're in the entertainment business that uses sports."

The Bottom Line

Competition is scarce. Entertainment is abundant.

Competition rewards winners. Entertainment rewards participants.

Competition creates stress. Entertainment creates joy.

In a world where youth sports dropout rates are 70%, parents are burned out, families are price-sensitive, and attention is the most valuable asset—entertainment wins.

Not because it's easier. Because it's better business.