Penn State Athletics Introduces Fan Rewards Platform

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. / NEW YORK – Penn State Athletics announced today the launch of Penn State Rewards, a new loyalty program created in partnership with Uptop, a Rain company, that gives Nittany Lion fans another way to be recognized and rewarded for the ways they already support Penn State. The agreement was brokered by Penn State Sports Enterprises, the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Penn State Athletics powered by Playfly Sports, leveraging Uptop’s proprietary technology and infrastructure built on Avalanche, a technology platform that makes earning and redeeming points instant.

The program will be available to students and fans at pennstaterewards.com, and through the Penn State Athletics Official Mobile App starting August 24th. Penn State Rewards is an incentives program designed to give back to the passionate fans who make Penn State one of the most dedicated fan communities in college athletics. Fans can earn loyalty points through activities they already enjoy, including attending Penn State games, or easily linking a card to unlock bonus points and start earning when they spend at Penn State Athletics facilities or shop with participating Penn State partners, such as Dunkin’, Onvo, GIANT, Jersey Mike’s, UTZ, and more. Fans can redeem points for merchandise, memorabilia, tickets, and unique Penn State experiences.

“Penn State fans are incredibly loyal, and they give so much to our University and our teams every day,” said Penn State University Deputy Athletics Director Leah Beasley. “Penn State Rewards is one way we can give something back to them. Whether you’re showing up to support one of our teams, shopping with our incredible network of brand partners, visiting a concession stand, or purchasing Penn State gear, we want to find more ways to recognize that loyalty and say thank you. This program is about rewarding our loyal Penn State fans.”

“We’re excited to partner with Uptop to launch Penn State Rewards and bring a new level of engagement to our fans and students. Uptop has established itself as a leader in the fan rewards space and its platform will allow us to deliver meaningful benefits directly through our Official Mobile App,” said Daniel Solomon, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships at Penn State Sports Enterprises. “We’re especially excited about the opportunity to integrate our existing partners into the program, giving them new ways to connect with Penn State fans through exclusive offers and experiences while fans earn points toward Penn State Rewards.”

“We’re excited to partner with Penn State to give fans even more value from the experiences and activities they already enjoy,” said Zac Sebo, Head of Partnerships at Uptop. “Penn State Rewards is about recognizing the passion of Nittany Lion fans and turning their everyday engagement into additional opportunities to experience the teams and traditions they love.”

Penn State Rewards will continue to evolve, creating additional opportunities for fans and students to benefit from their engagement with Penn State. In the future, the program will introduce a co-branded Penn State prepaid card. Fans will add funds in the app and spend from the card wherever they shop, earning points on global purchases and driving additional support back to Penn State Athletics. For students, the program will provide an additional avenue to earn rewards that can enhance their Penn State experience, including opportunities related to student ticket access and the student ticket lottery. As the program continues to grow, Penn State Rewards is also expected to create a pathway for students to build toward Nittany Lion Club benefits before they graduate.

ABOUT PENN STATE ATHLETICS

Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800-plus student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.

ABOUT UPTOP

Uptop, a Rain company, is an onchain rewards platform that turns everyday purchases into loyalty across categories including sports, entertainment, travel, dining, and retail. With a simple card-link or receipt-scan, Uptop lets customers earn automatically where they already shop and redeem for perks that matter. Partners and sponsors benefit from measurable outcomes like frequency, basket size, and retention. Backed by Rain, Uptop brings integrated rewards to card and wallet programs at scale. Learn more at https://www.uptop.xyz/.

ABOUT PLAYFLY SPORTS

Playfly Sports, the sports industry’s leading revenue maximization company, drives growth for its partners across the sports ecosystem – including 2,000+ brands, 100+ professional teams, 65+ college athletic departments, all U.S. local sports networks and associated streaming platforms, and other marquee properties. Its fan engagement platform allows its partners to reach and engage over 85% of all U.S sports fans. Playfly builds and implements custom strategies across media, sponsorship, premium experiences, ticketing and fan engagement offerings through proprietary data, innovative technology and compelling storytelling. Playfly operates an expansive portfolio of services with a data-driven and fan-focused approach to maximize revenue yield in key growth areas, such as media, sponsorship, ticketing, premium experiences and fan engagement offerings. Founded in September of 2020, Playfly Sports is now home to approximately 1,000 team members located across 43 U.S. states and internationally dedicated to maximizing the impact of highly passionate local sports fans. The company has been named a Best Place to Work in Sports by Sports Business Journal, Front Office Sports, and Newsweek. To learn more, follow Playfly Sports on social media platforms or visit www.Playfly.com.

ABOUT AVALANCHE

Avalanche is a technology platform built for business. Enterprises, financial institutions, consumer applications, and governments run core infrastructure on Avalanche because it delivers the reliability, compliance, and speed that modern operations demand. Users include BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Apollo, FIFA, and the state of Wyoming. For more information, visit Avalanche.com.