STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (October 23, 2024) – Embarking on the first academic year of a 15-year enterprise partnership with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State Sports Enterprises, an entity of Playfly Sports Properties, has successfully implemented – and continues to grow – the first enterprise model with a full array of new initiatives, partnerships and sponsorship opportunities.
In addition to partnering with Penn State Athletics, the Penn State Sports Enterprises team works with several other organizations, including The Penn State Alumni Association, The Bryce Jordan Center, and Happy Valley United (NIL Collective). The team has also made significant progress with an On-Campus Partnership program, which has already yielded partnerships with campus-wide assets.
Staffing the Enterprise
Less than a year after its partnership announcement with Penn State Athletics, Playfly Sports Properties has grown Penn State Sports Enterprises into a robust 15-person team that is based in State College. The team also operates in four major markets for Penn State Athletics: New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Washington D.C.
Running point on the property are two seasoned Executive Directors, Rich Klein and Bill Cartwright, each with 20-plus years of experience in the collegiate sports industry, along with Daniel Solomon, Katie Porco and Seth DeWitt.
Solomon leads sales as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, with a successful track record in the sports industry during his time with the Florida Gators, Jacksonville Jaguars, and a previous stop at Penn State. Porco oversees the business and operations side, bringing a wealth of experience from Playfly Corporate, Comcast Spectacor, and Spectra. DeWitt manages the service team as Director of Partnership Services and has a strong background with the Nittany Lions, staying on staff following the departure of Penn State’s former multimedia rights partner.
Bringing New Initiatives to Happy Valley
Dr. Patrick Kraft, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, has put into motion key renovations of Penn State’s athletic venues, including a $700 million revitalization of Beaver Stadium, which will grow revenue-generating opportunities, enhance the fan experience and fuel future funding of its athletics programs. Playfly Sports is thrilled to partner with the Nittany Lions on this venture, which will enhance several areas in and around the stadium, including high-impact signage for partners such as TV-visible field level signage and LED ribbon boards.
Several new content and digital platforms have launched for Penn State fans, alumni, and donors to stay engaged with, and deepen their ties to, Penn State Athletics. Among these new fan engagement tools is a curated email newsletter called the Blue & White Brew, powered by Sport & Story, which reaches the email inboxes of several hundreds of thousands of avid Penn State fans every single weekday morning, providing them with news, information and content about Penn State Athletics.
For the football enthusiasts, in addition to the award-winning game broadcast, fans are able to tune into The Penn State Pregame Show, featuring two former PSU standouts and NFL veterans, Jason Cabinda and Christian Hackenberg. The 60-minute show airs live on GoPSUSports.com 2.5 hours prior to kickoff.
Partnerships Are Key
Penn State Sports Enterprises has already made significant strides on the partnership front, providing both national and regional businesses with exciting opportunities to be involved with the Penn State brand.
The enterprise team has inked many new partnerships, expanding the bench of commercial support for the Nittany Lions. Some of these new partners include PAM Health, Anheuser-Busch, West Shore Home, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Onvo, McDonald’s (Northeastern and Center Pennsylvania), Thompson Creek Window Company, Confer’s Jewelers, New Trail Brewing Company, Handler Henning & Rosenberg, and Topline Heating and Air.
Penn State Sports Enterprises has also struck new, creative commercial arrangements with existing partners, such as National Fitness Partners (a leading Planet Fitness franchise group) and Weis Markets, by introducing new assets into these partnerships with renewed commitments.
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ABOUT PLAYFLY SPORTS
Playfly Sports is a sports media, marketing and technology business centered around the team, league, brand, and network. Believing in ‘Fandom as a Service’ and focusing on a consultative, data driven approach to REACH, ENGAGE, MONETIZE AND MEASURE FANDOM gives the company’s partners and brands a competitive advantage. Playfly connects more than 2,000 brand partners with approximately 85% of all U.S. sports fans. Through the proprietary platform the business delivers scalable, data-oriented marketing, technology, and media solutions with capabilities including exclusive MMR management, sponsorship sales and activation, streaming, consulting, ticket/premium sales, all along with new revenue-driving platforms and technologies. Founded in September of 2020, Playfly Sports is now home to approximately 1,000 team members located across 43 U.S. states dedicated to maximizing the impact of highly passionate local sports fans. Follow Playfly Sports on social media @PlayflySports or visit www.playfly.com.
