Sold-out "We Are" Philadelphia event aids Penn State NIL push
Penn State head coach James Franklin put the issue of name, image, and likeness in blunt terms. Celebrating another successful recruiting class in December, the topic remained of utmost significance to the Nittany Lions in their pursuit of the nation’s best football players.
Pleased to be taking NIL seriously, he acknowledged the program’s need to continue along that path.
“I think our guys have done a good job being aggressive. We haven’t really changed our overall philosophy. But the reality is, NIL is a factor now, and if you’re not able to offer similar opportunities that other schools are, it’s going to make it challenging,” Franklin told Penn State’s Brian Tripp. “So we’ve been aggressive there and trying to close the gap. We still have some work to do. I think that’s the reality of it.
“But, at the end of the day, we’re still offering an opportunity to get a world class education, play big-time football, and then we need to make sure that we’re able to offer similar opportunities to every other program in the country that we’re competing with.”
“We Are… in Philly” event sells out
Thursday evening, that progress of that work is again coming into focus with the “We Are… in Philly” event to be held at the Union League of Philadelphia. Happy Valley United, the NIL collective supporting Penn State athletics, followed last year’s inaugural offering with the same format – a VIP reception from 6-7 p.m. followed by a three-hour evening event hosted by Franklin, with dozens of special guests including Saquon Barkley, current coaching staffers, and other notable former players.
Along with a venue change, HVU announced this week that the event has already delivered an improvement on last year’s results. Selling out the event, the Penn State fan and business community’s reception has been encouraging to Rachael Pritzker, organizer of this year’s event.
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“It has been an absolute dream working alongside Penn State Football, Happy Valley United and the Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation to produce this year’s event. To sell out this event in only our second year is a testament to the support for Penn State Football in Philadelphia, and the community we are building here to support our student athletes,” Pritzker said in a statement provided to Blue White Illustrated. “It’s going to be an incredible and impactful night!”
Online auction accompanies event
In addition to the on-site reception to support the Penn State football program in its NIL endeavors, an online auction is also up and running through Friday night.
Among the items up for bid are Penn State memorabilia and a variety of sports experience opportunities.
Experiences include tickets to Penn State’s national signing day event in December, NFL Pro Day in March, Players Championship VIP tickets, and the Nittany Lions’ annual kick-off retreat with the football coaching staff. Memorabilia includes a signed Saquon Barkley jersey, a Franlkin-signed football, autographed Barkley sneakers, and more.
Attendance at Thursday night’s event isn’t required for auction bidding.
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