Baseball Lifestyle 101’s Newest Featured Athlete: Jackson Olson

Chris Elwell

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of pinterest.com

Founded in 2016, the Savannah Bananas started in Savannah, GA as a barnstorming baseball team that could only compare to what the Harlem Globetrotters have done in basketball. In their inaugural season, they started as a collegiate summer team in the Coastal Plain League (CPL), in which they won three championships before they started to play their now famous “Banana Ball” against teams like the Party Animals and the Firefighters in 2018.

The status they have reached now is due in large part to the roster of characters they travel the country with. They not only play high-level baseball but also fit their appeal to fans, with perhaps none more known than newly signed Baseball Lifestyle 101 featured athlete Jackson Olson. 

Photo Courtesy of Baseball Lifestyle 101

Before landing with the Bananas, Olson played NCAA Division 1 baseball at the University of Hartford and Stetson University from 2017-2021. Olson spent four years at Hartford and his final year of eligibility with Stetson in 2021 was granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020 season. 

He played collegiate summer baseball in the Hamptons League in 2017 with the Riverhead Tomcats, the famous Cape Cod League in 2019 with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, and the Florida Collegiate League in 2020 with the DeLand Suns as he continued towards his dream of being an MLB player. While he may not have made it to the majors, his current role has gotten him to places he never imagined possible while still being involved in baseball. 

Primarily a shortstop in college, Olson has been the Bananas' second baseman since his debut in the 2023 season and became a staple in Banana Ball. The team has sold out MLB stadiums and other professional sports stadiums like Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Olson shined with a between-the-legs throw to first base to throw out the batter.

Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@jacksonolson_

During his time with the Bananas, Olson’s social media following has soared to new heights with over 1.8 million followers on TikTok and 704,000 followers on Instagram. His unique content highlights his play with the team and as an MLB ambassador, where he goes across the league doing stadium reviews, and has also partnered with Reebok and Gatorade. 

Olson’s reputation on social media has given him opportunities to collaborate with MLB as a member of the original Creator Class in 2021. The Creator Class was started with Olson alongside ten other creators, who were required to make 12 posts at minimum, but Olson was so thrilled with the opportunity that he made 60-70 posts. 

Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@jacksonolson_

After the first year of participating in the Creator Class, Olson was approached by Gametime, a mobile ticket marketplace app, to travel to every MLB stadium and rank them, cementing his status as an up-and-coming creator and led to his being discovered by the Bananas and his eventual signing with the team.

Outside of baseball, his journey as a content creator has gotten him to other locations and events like the Waste Management Phoenix Open and partnering with Names for Good, a bracelet-making company. 

Olson headlined a special collection of friendship bracelets that benefited The Miracle League and their mission of providing opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball. On his Instagram, he posted a video of how this partnership came to be that Olson called a “full circle” moment where he is able to give back to the community and allow everyone to have a fun day playing baseball.

Photo Courtesy of namesforgood.com

Olson’s mission to spread his love for baseball to anyone he connects with shows in his content and everywhere he goes. His energy and passion whether he’s on the field, making content at an MLB game, or documenting his everyday life never strays and has become somewhat of an expectation from his followers to be in every video he posts. 

“Baseball Lifestyle has been a big part of my life since I started my content journey in 2019,” said Olson. “I remember having a Facetime call with Josh Shapiro and just knowing that you guys have had my back through a lot of my content journey and believed in me.

Olson’s first collaboration with BL101 was in 2021, when he did a photo shoot that marked the first time he was involved in content that he did not shoot himself. “It was really cool to venture out and work with a brand for the first time,” said Olson.

He remained in close contact with BL101 despite not working together for two years, and when asked if he would like to become a featured athlete for the brand, he was thrilled by the offer and accepted. 

Photo Courtesy of Baseball Lifestyle 101

Olson joins BL101’s featured athlete list alongside Detroit Tigers top prospect Max Clark and high school phenom Dexter McCleon Jr., who signed in February. Olson's baseball journey has given him a different perspective of baseball, which makes him a major asset to growing the game of baseball through his content and working with BL101, which will help to bring in new audiences for content purposes and new markets and styles in terms of apparel. 

The role of social media in baseball has created fans from all backgrounds who have connections with different aspects of the game. MLB players certainly receive most of the attention from fans, but people who don’t watch as many games see what influencers like Olson are doing for the game and give a different perspective and other ways to enjoy the game rather than just watching games. As a lifelong baseball player, Olson understands the thrills of playing in a baseball game and experiencing it from the stands, making it easier for him to connect with his followers through his content by highlighting different parts of ballpark life.

Olson has become one of the most recognized baseball influencers due to his time with the Bananas and his content. As this partnership progresses, both Olson and BL101 will see the success of working together and creating something that followers and customers can enjoy wearing and watching on social media.