Lions Legacy Club Has Big Plans for Penn State Football
United by their passion for Penn State football, former players Chris Ganter, Ki-Jana Carter and Michael Mauti joined forces last spring to build an NIL collective focused specifically on football. Only they didn't want to call the Lions Legacy Club a "collective."
"One of the reasons we're calling this a club and not a collective is because this is something for all of us, for every Penn Stater," Ganter said in an interview. "... We all want Penn State football to be great. In a lot of ways it's the lifeblood of the fall in Happy Valley and a face for the university, and it really is going to take all of us."
Lions Legacy Club represents the first NIL initiative dedicated solely to Penn State football. While related collectives, including Success With Honor and Nittany Commonwealth, support athletes in Penn State's 31 varsity sports, Lions Legacy Club will support the Nittany Lions football team exclusively. It also will present a non-profit option, allowing donors to make tax-deductible donations to any Penn State team.
Ganter, a former Penn State quarterback whose father Fran was the team's long-time offensive coordinator, serves as the general manager of Lions Legacy Club. Ganter, Carter and Mauti partnered with Blueprint Sports, a Las Vegas-based agency backed by former tennis player Andre Agassi, to develop a membership platform and engagement process that connects players with fans and donors.
Lions Legacy Club has secured seed funding from several as-yet unnamed investors, and Ganter said the group has established a fundraising goal of $5 million by the end of 2022. It wants to provide NIL opportunities to every Penn State football player, including walk-ons.
Further, Ganter said that fundraising target will allow Lions Legacy Club to do something "huge" in 2023.
"We have to be competitive in this," Ganter said. "But we also understand that it's incredibly important to be strategic. We've put a lot of time, thought and effort into doing this. And we have a great plan for it."
The Lions Legacy Club origin story
Ganter, who played quarterback at Penn State from 2002-04, has worked in a cross-section of sports and entertainment businesses over the past 15 years. He worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates, served as operations coordinator at Nick Jonas Productions, managed a tour for the band North of Nine and even became a registered screenwriter with the Writers Guild of America. Penn State football remained a constant through his career.
When Pennsylvania passed its NIL legislation in 2021, Ganter began organizing opportunities for football players. Among them was a tailgate with Sean Clifford and Jahan Dotson after last year's Penn State-Villanova game. Wanting to do more, Ganter began exploring a football-only NIL collective.
At the same time, Carter, the former Penn State running back who finished second in the 1994 Heisman voting, was pursuing his own NIL initiative. Carter lives in south Florida, where billionaire John Ruiz has spent about $7 million on NIL deals with Miami athletes, according to Sports Illustrated. Carter wondered, "What is my university doing?"
"It seemed like there was no continuity of someone really focusing on the football program," Carter said. "And obviously, being that we're a powerhouse and a very big program, we can't have that happen."
Carter turned to longtime friend Rob Sine, a Penn State graduate and former rugby player who is a prominent figure in the sports industry. Sine has worked in the NBA, served as vice president of the Pac-12 and was president of Learfield IMG College Ticket Solutions. In 2020 he co-founded Blueprint Sports, a sports marketing agency that now works with nine NIL collectives nationwide.
Ganter, Carter and Mauti all had been in touch with Penn State's athletic department about launching NIL initiatives. Upon realizing that, they united under the Blueprint Sports banner with Lions Legacy Club.
"You look at all the people who have worn these jerseys and represented this team on and off the field," Sine said. "That's why this name was so perfect for me. It's about legacy."
Former Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter, pictured against Michigan in 1993, is a founder of Lions Legacy Club, the new NIL Collective that will focus on Penn State football.
RVR Sports
Why a Penn State football-only collective?
Penn State rosters more than 800 athletes in 31 varsity sports, all of whom can benefit from NIL opportunities. However, Ganter said, football is a "different beast."
"It's just so important to the athletic department and this university, so we really felt strongly that there needed to be a football-only thing," Ganter said.
Lions Legacy Club's leadership engaged discussions with football coach James Franklin, athletic director Patrick Kraft and Penn State's other NIL collectives to gauge support and ensure compatibility. All parties were supportive, Sine said.
"What I learned through the rest of our business is that it's altruistic to walk in and say, 'Hey, let's support all student athletes.' That's a lot of work," Sine said. "Being able to have a sustained focus allows us to produce the best results."
Franklin said he appreciates the support from all of Penn State's NIL collectives, noting that "we're all pulling the rope in the same direction."
"Obviously certain people are going to have a connection with certain sports that they're more passionate about," Franklin said. "We appreciate what they're doing. Obviously there's a lot of passion and hard work that's going to go into it. ... We look forward to any opportunities that they can present to our student-athletes and our program."
What Lions Legacy donations are tax-deductible?
Lions Legacy Club offers membership levels ranging from $60-$1,200 per year. Donors can make one-time contributions, sign players to specific sponsorship deals and create custom engagements with one or more players. Those are part of the collective's business side.
Lions Legacy Club also will offer fans an opportunity to make tax-deductible donations through a non-profit foundation. Blueprint Sports recently launched the BPS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that "mobilizes college athletes to help teach how hard work, discipline, focus and continued education can make the young athlete's dreams become a reality," according to its website.
Individuals and organizations can make a tax-deductible donation to Penn State athletes or a team (not just football) through the BPS Foundation. In turn, the BPS board directs those funds to the Lions Legacy Club with instructions on scheduling athletes for appearances at local schools, religious organizations, hospitals or charities.
Participating athletes receive compensation for their appearances, and the for-profit and non-profit entities are separate.
"One of the ideas is that it's built to be able to offer up that option to people who are looking to make a six-figure or higher donation and to get a tax write-off from it," Sine said. "Operationally we've had to make sure there's separation, but it's been well received with other collectives, and we're excited to roll it out here as well."
The future of Lions Legacy Club
Ganter and Carter said that Penn State lettermen representing several decades are eager to support the collective. It won't be a specific recruiting tool ("We're here to take care of the guys on the team," Ganter said), but coaches can point prospects and their families to the website to understand how they might benefit.
Carter stressed the educational component. He and fellow players have discussed NIL often, usually asking, "What would we have got when we were playing?" Ultimately, however, Carter wants players to know that their college experience will depend on more than NIL.
"You try to educate kids by saying, 'Don't just bounce and go to different schools just because of how much money you're going to get from [NIL], because you're really cheating yourself,'" Carter said. "Now, if your goal is to get to the NFL, you want to be around solid coaching to help you get there. And obviously, you can take care of your name, image and likeness at the same time."
Though his business operates other collectives, Sine said he wants Lions Legacy Club "to be the best collective in college football."
"I mean, this is my heart," he said.
Same for Ganter, who, remember, has worked with the Jonas Brothers — who famously recorded a video for the 2019 White Out. Ganter said he has "some special surprises" and "really cool things" planned for this season and beyond.
"There are very few things I care about more than Penn State football," Ganter said. "And I want this to be something that goes really well for our players, something that they are proud to be a part of."
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