Column: Expectations set, Nittany Lions eagerly await early NIL returns

With Pennsylvania’s governor and other dignitaries seated behind her, and a row of some of the university’s most accomplished student-athletes surrounding them, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour delivered the department’s message.

A press conference organized to celebrate the state’s recently passed bill permitting the use of name, image, and likeness in athletics, Penn State was fully embracing the seismic shift that the new rules now represent. And with it, the Nittany Lions were also aiming to distinguish themselves in an increasingly crowded and cloudy new market.

“I have the opportunity to interact with these student-athletes every day, and hear their stories, and hear their dreams,” Barbour said. “The opportunity for them to take advantage of the rights to use their name, image, and likeness now is something that they're very excited about, as you can tell, and it's something that's been a long time coming.”

As one of two athletes to speak at the event, Nittany Lion senior receiver Jahan Dotson explained what he believed the benefit to be. Satisfying the desire to be part of the larger cultural moment that allows student-athletes to earn money, Dotson also doubled down on the larger implication that Penn State has been emphasizing since July 1.

Welcoming the merged goals of opportunity and entrepreneurial education, Dotson said the latter element has implications beyond his playing career at Penn State and is also one that he appreciates.

“This is a huge opportunity for myself and all the student-athletes here at Penn State to get a head start in life, not only in athletics but also in our careers,” Dotson began, later thanking Barbour for the development of the department’s STATEment program. “The STATEment program will be a tremendous resource to me and my fellow student-athletes with the proper education on NIL, brand-building, and financial responsibility.”

The educational piece of Penn State’s STATEment program does not work without its money-making complement, however.

Echoing the statements that were made by Dotson and women’s basketball forward Anna Camden, Barbour also understands Penn State’s responsibility to help foster the relationships that will lead to opportunities for monetization. The challenge at Penn State now and in the coming weeks is how the balance plays itself out between an educational pursuit and the bottom-line proposition of eliciting real-world dollars into the bank accounts of Penn State’s student-athletes and their families.

Offering her thanks to the student-athletes in attendance for how they have "approached this,” Barbour acknowledged the “bumpy road” that has marked the onset of this new, harried endeavor. A signal of appreciation that the department has not been flooded by questionable requests or partnerships from its student-athletes, the formalized arrangements for commercial sponsorships and other opportunities have admittedly not yet taken shape.

This is the major caveat to what the future holds for Penn State as it attempts to navigate NIL.

“There's still lots to be learned out there about this, and obviously (there is) lots to be learned on behalf of our student-athletes. You heard about what this means to them. It's an opportunity,” Barbour said. “The word we are using at Penn State - because I think it captures what this opportunity means - is ‘entrepreneurial.’ The opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial activities of many, many sorts in the exact same way that any student on this campus has, student-athletes did not have the right before. It's what's right, and we're excited to see all they will do with this opportunity.”

For Dotson, that opportunity is one he is expecting to come to fruition thanks to the vast network Penn State is aiming to leverage on his behalf.

Repeatedly touting the extensive alumni base of the university, along with the already existing resources that Penn State athletics has cultivated in the form of its financial and life skill center, its student legal services center, Invest Penn State, Happy Valley LaunchBox, the Penn State Small Business Development Center, the trademark and licensing office and more, the department has also announced new partnerships with Athletes Network, INFLCR, and Spry. Through those resources, and the expected embrace of Penn State’s strong culture of community, Dotson is very much anticipating success in NIL.

“Being a student at Penn State means being part of a community that always lifts us up and shows us all the support in the world. We're part of this amazing university for some years, but we are part of the Penn State family forever,” Dotson said. “We all know the brand recognition that comes with saying, ‘I go to Penn State.’ That gives student-athletes a unique chance to succeed, not only in athletics but in academics as well, which is why this NIL bill is such a great opportunity that is presented to us.”

Nearing the end of two full weeks since the implementation of the state’s NIL rules, the question remains as to what shape those opportunities will take for the Nittany Lions.

Banking on the local business community as well as that of Penn State and its estimated more than 600,000 living alumni, the endeavor still in its infancy is one that the Nittany Lion student-athletes, its athletic stakeholders, and the university itself are all expecting to soon deliver stories of success.

“Our intercollegiate student-athletes receive so much support from our community, and from our alumni,” Barbour said. “So we are excited to be at and in this moment, and looking forward to seeing what our student-athletes will do with this opportunity. I, for one, am very excited about seeing what they'll do.”

A crucial moment in how Penn State athletics differentiates itself among its peers, no doubt, from players to coaches and administrators to business leaders, it’s a jumping off point from which the early returns are eagerly anticipated.

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