University of Pennsylvania athletics is currently awaiting Ivy League approval to form a name, image, and likeness collective — the first of its kind in the conference, write Sean McKeown and Walker Carnathan for The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The publication claimed the collective had “already been in use,” but that it is currently paused. It also reported that the university’s basketball program had already started informing players that a collective is in the works.
A source claimed that the collective would only be designed for certain players within Penn’s athletic program.
The Ivy League has so far avoided direct payments to athletes through a collective. Meanwhile, Penn has allowed — and continues to allow — players to partner with businesses for “legitimate NIL” opportunities.
Conference Director Robin Harris wrote in an email to student-athletes on Jan. 21 that Iv League “will continue to not provide student-athletes with revenue sharing allocations, athletics scholarships, or direct NIL payments.”
“[The Ivy League] will continue to provide an educational intercollegiate athletics model that is focused on academic primacy and the overall student-athlete experience,” Harris added.
According to a source, Penn’s efforts to form this collective was driven by alumni aiming to retain top talent and maintain their competitiveness nationally.
Read more about Penn athletics’ plans to potentially launch an NIL collective in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
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