OHSAA rejects NIL for HS athletes

[HLinNC]

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/governing-bodies/article/15292086/ohio-high-schools-vote-against-nil-proposal

I think NC is still studying it.

[ncwingman]

I have to admit I've not been following this at all, but based on my experiences, I cannot imagine any HS athlete being able to translate NIL rights into anything worthwhile. Even if it was allowed, I can't see it ever being financially viable and it would essentially just fade away into obscurity due to non-use. Maybe there's a handful of players across the country that would see a non-zero return, but it'll be rare and they won't be making anything significant.

It's completely different at the D-I college level where schools have been monetizing player's NIL for years with the player not receiving any of the benefit. In contrast, you can't buy a high school jersey with your favorite player's number/name on it. That's not a market that exists currently, and trying to create it is likely to result in failure.

Ultimately, this just seems like high schools trying to emulate what they see on TV for no real benefit other than "Well, that's what we see on TV!" -- much like many a rule change.

[Etref]

Rich booster club member could attract “transfer” students.

[ElvisLives]

with the player not receiving any of the benefit.

What a load of baloney.  Just ask the parents of the average student what the value of a scholarship would have meant to them. And ever since the transfer portal was created, there is no incentive for a player to even go to class. Any many don’t. Don’t like it where you are? Not getting the playing time you think you should be given (even without earning it)? Transfer.

[HLinNC]

 

I cannot imagine any HS athlete being able to translate NIL rights into anything worthwhile.

Sure there are.  You don't think big time 5 star recruits can't command some money before they graduate high school.  Imagine Nike locking down LeBron before he ever left high school in Ohio.  Olympic level track athletes?  Phenom 18 year old senior pitcher headed for the MLB draft after graduation?  The potential is definitely there.  The shoe reps have been steering HS kids to their favorite college programs for years already.  The goodies are just under the table.

[ncwingman]

What a load of baloney.  Just ask the parents of the average student what the value of a scholarship would have meant to them. And ever since the transfer portal was created, there is no incentive for a player to even go to class. Any many don’t. Don’t like it where you are? Not getting the playing time you think you should be given (even without earning it)? Transfer.

I'm taking it more literally here. The bookstore sells a jersey with your name on it, and you see a total of $0.00 in royalties. The school could afford the scholarship *without* the merchandise sales. I see no problem with an athlete getting a cut of that action on top of everything else.

Sure there are.  You don't think big time 5 star recruits can't command some money before they graduate high school.  Imagine Nike locking down LeBron before he ever left high school in Ohio.  Olympic level track athletes?  Phenom 18 year old senior pitcher headed for the MLB draft after graduation?  The potential is definitely there.  The shoe reps have been steering HS kids to their favorite college programs for years already.  The goodies are just under the table.

That's sort of my point though -- It's Lebron, and Kobe, and... we can list them individually. It's not thousands of kids. It's a literal handful that have any real potential here. How many kids going through Murphy HS do you think are getting any significant NIL deals? for the vast majority of schools, it will be a complete non-issue. Best case scenario, Billy Bob Chevrolet hires the whole team to do a local TV ad -- with a donation to the school and all the kids get $100. If it passes or not, I don't see massive changes to how things operate.

Although, that does highlight the other point made -- if there is a superstar at Murphy, it suddenly turns out he's got an Aunt that lives in Shelby or Kings Mountain. NIL isn't going to fix that.

[HLinNC]

Oh, I agree but NIL at the high school level isn't just about the LeBron's, Bo Jackson, Wayne Gretsky level talent and Nike, Ford, and McDonald's shelling out the cash.

It is easy to imagine a top, 4 star, D1 level local junior recruit from say, Newton-Conover, signing an NIL deal with Dale Earnhart Chevrolet to drive a Silverado around for a couple of years until he gets to the big money at State or Carolina.

[Ralph Damren]

......Big ole' Bubba could promote BubbaBurgers, but he probably eat up all the profits