Marty Jones
POOLER, Ga. – What started out as a sarcastic suggestion from Marty Jones’ wife, Cindy, turned into eight seasons of entertaining and making people laugh as a “Man-Nana” with the Savannah Bananas — a professional exhibition baseball team known for its choreographed dances, non-stop play and entertaining games.
The Man-Nanas are the all-male, “dad bod” cheerleading squad for the baseball team. At each game, the Man-Nanas hype up the crowd with their dances, dad jokes and quirky entertainment.
Outside of the pest control industry, Jones is known for being one of the original Man-Nanas, but those in the industry know him as the co-owner of Prestige Pest Control, Pooler, Ga. Jones owns the company with his wife, Cindy, and both are associate certified entomologists (A.C.E.). Cindy also serves as the 2025 president of the Certified Pest Control Operators (CPCO) of Georgia. She is the first woman president of CPCO in its 27-year history. “I’m always bragging on her,” Jones told PCT.
Before Jones became a Man-Nana, he was a dedicated fan of the Savannah Bananas, which became a team in 2016 when it was founded by Jesse Cole, who owns the team through his company, Fans First Entertainment.
Cindy realized her husband was completely consumed by the Savannah Bananas during their seasons, Marty said, and couldn’t get him to focus on the company. After two years of supporting the Savannah Bananas in the stadium stands, always wearing yellow sunglasses, hats and T-shirts, he became an official part of the entertainment squad.
“[Cindy] said, ‘I can’t get anything out of you during the season, so why don’t you just start to be a male cheerleader?’ Jones recalled. “She was being sarcastic. Well, I ran down immediately and tried out.”
A couple years later, each of the Man-Nanas were tasked with developing their own character and personality. Jones initially pulled together a yellow construction hat and sunglasses and was trying to come up with an idea for his Man-Nana persona when Cindy suggested, sarcastically, a character called the “Banana Inspector.”
While the Banana Inspector was meant to make people laugh, Jones’ purpose as a member of the Man-Nanas was also to help people forget about life’s seriousness.
“I have two or three hours or so to make them forget about it [and] to make their life better,” said Jones. “If I can entertain and make somebody laugh … I feel like I’ve done my job.”
At one game, Jones said he stopped entertaining for a moment to talk with a woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She told Jones that attending a Savannah Bananas game was on her bucket list, so he went to the clubhouse and got an autographed ball for her to remember the game.
For Jones and the other Man-Nanas, “Fan First, Entertain Always” is the motto. However, entertaining and making people laugh have always been part of Jones’ life. When Jones was younger, he used jokes and entertainment as a defense mechanism, he said. Yet Jones never lost his desire to entertain as the years passed. Instead of entertaining as a defense mechanism, he entertains to make people happy.
Recently, Jones was on a cruise where he was crowned the king of the Mardi Gras (the name of the ship) for his dancing in front of the ship’s crowd. “Everybody who knows me, all my friends, business affiliates across the country, they all know me as the class clown,” Jones said.
That’s not to say Jones can’t focus and lead others. Jones said when he commits to something, he always wants to do it to the best of his ability. Jones realized his time as a Man-Nana was coming to an end after eight seasons and he decided the final home game of the season would be his farewell to the male cheerleading squad.
On Aug. 23, the Savannah Bananas played its final home game against the Firefighters at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Ga. To Jones’ surprise, during what he thought was just a promotion in the middle of the game, he was called out onto the field and recognized for his years as a Man-Nana. Jones was the last original Man-Nana on the squad, leaving behind a legacy that future Man-Nanas can aspire toward.
Jones never used his position as a Man-Nana for company gain. His responsibilities to the pest control industry and the Savannah Bananas remain separate, but his passion for entertaining has left a positive impact on both.
“I’d rather make someone laugh any day than make a dollar,” Jones said. “…that’s from my heart.”