Penn State football joins the blockchain this season, as the Nittany Lions are part of a new college rollout selling fan tokens, which are a form of cryptocurrency. Penn State is one of five major colleges that will sell digital assets offering fans access to "exclusive experiences" and "unique benefits," according to a news release announcing the initiative.Socios, a platform that operates in the growing fan-token economy, will host Penn State in a new program with Michigan State, Maryland, Texas A&M and LSU. According to Socios, those five programs will begin the "scale-out" process that the company wants to expand to 30 colleges over the next year. The initiative represents the U.S. rollout for sales of fan tokens.Playfly, a sports marketing company that holds Penn State's multimedia rights, partnered with Socios to bring the fan-token deal to these five colleges. Socios partners with professional soccer teams in Europe and South America and also has deals to sell tokens for auto racing, rugby and gaming teams.“The United States is the most important sports market in the world, and college sports represents one of the most passionate and culturally significant fandoms anywhere,” Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO and founder of the Chiliz blockchain and Socios.com, said in a statement. “These are the first Fan Tokens in U.S. college sports and represent not only a new frontier but also a new iteration of the established asset class."LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State and Texas A&M represent some of the most passionate fan communities in global sports, and Fan Tokens® will provide fans, alumni and supporters everywhere with a new way to connect, engage and be rewarded for their fandom."What is a fan token?Penn State Nittany Lions football fans cheer during the 2025 White Out game vs. the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectFan tokens are digital collectibles that hold some value only with the team selling them. They're a marketing tool that teams use to engage with fans through digital channels."Fan Tokens® are utility tokens designed to provide fans with the ability to directly support their schools’ athletic programs while opening the door to new engagement experiences, rewards and access," according to the PlayFly news release. "Through Fan Tokens®, supporters can vote on fan focused decisions, participate in exclusive experiences, unlock unique benefits and connect with their favorite teams in new ways."What does that mean? Just as people buy digital assets such as crptyo and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), they now can buy sport- and team-specific fan tokens to gain access to certain benefits with those teams. Here's a good explanation from the crypto website CoinMarketCap."Unlike NFTs, fan tokens are completely “fungible” or interchangeable. This means that, just like fiat or cash, the tokens can be exchanged for sports club merchandise, VIP experiences and more. Additionally, they play an important role in tightening the club community with another team-branded piece of fandom.