Getty Image / Charles Brock
Penn State is not known as a basketball school, to say the least. The mood surrounding the program can often be described as apathetic, with their dynastic wrestling program under head coach Cael Sanderson often taking center stage during the Winter months.
But, homegrown head coach Mike Rhoades is starting to change that. After a solid first season in Happy Valley, he’s got the Nittany Lions rolling so far this year, and a famous State College bar is trying to take advantage of the success.
The Nittany Lions enter a huge game Tuesday night against Rutgers at 8-1 after a demolition of Purdue last week. Penn State received votes in this week’s AP Poll, so it’s reasonable to think that a win against Rutgers and another win over the weekend against lowly Coppin State would put the Nittany Lions back in the AP Poll.
Enter famous State College bar, Champs. Previously a restaurant on the outskirts of town, a downtown version of Champs opened in the late 2010s. It immediately became one of the most recognizable college bars anywhere, buoyed by the Jonas Brothers playing an inpromptu reunion concert in 2019. Given the fact that Game of Thrones star and now ex-wife of Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, made an appearance just days before the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones, the bar instantly became well-known.
Since, it’s been routinely named as one of America’s best college bars. And, they’re running quite a special revolving around the Penn State hoops squad. Here’s Onward State with more.
Champs Downtown announced on its Instagram story it will return a happy hour promotion to its lineup, pricing beers at Penn State men’s basketball’s rank in the AP Poll from 10 p.m. to midnight on Mondays.
If the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 25 in the poll, beers will cost $.25. If Penn State is ranked as the best team in the country, well, beers should cost $.01.
The promotion is reminiscent of the same happy hour deal in 2020. Then, the Nittany Lions peaked at No. 9 in the AP Poll, dropping beer prices to $.09.
Imagine living in a major metropolitan area after graduating from Penn State and realizing you’re paying $12 for a beer at some bar, while your former college hangout spot is selling the same drink for literal cents. Growing up is the worst.