When the NCAA approved for student athletes to begin collecting Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL) deals in 2021, it was the first significant blow to the “amateur” sports model Americans have recognized since the beginning of collegiate sports. Once college athletes were allowed to earn money from their status, the line between college and pro sports began to blur — with most fans today no longer see NCAA athletics as “amateur.”
Fortunately, we still have high school student athletes who compete as amateurs, right?
Actually, the interscholastic model is also changing before your very eyes, with increasingly more high school athletes collecting NIL money — and essentially becoming professional athletes themselves. A recent lawsuit in Ohio — one of the few states that still restrict high school athletes from earning NIL money — seeks to allow a football player to profit from his name, image, and likeness. If the plaintiff prevails, it could move high school sports one step closer to resembling the college/professional sports. Is this good for American amateur sports?
What’s next?
Assuming student athletes will soon be able to collect NIL revenue in Ohio, and that the rest of the states follow in the years ahead, high school sports will essentially become professional sports. Once talented student athletes realize they have a value on the market, what will prevent them from moving from school-to-school for the best offers? While state athletic boards control rules around transferring, as lawsuits for student athletes prevail and allow for NIL revenue, how will athletic boards enforce standards that may directly impact potential financial gains for families? For example, in the current Ohio lawsuit the plaintiff is claiming to be losing out on a “six figure trading card deal” by not being able to earn NIL money. Can you imagine the future lawsuits state athletic boards will face if they don’t play along and cooperate with families looking to cash in on their kid’s athletic status? Especially when it might be their biggest payday to date — and maybe for the future, too?
It’s difficult to see any path back to “amateur” sports, including high school sports. It is extremely unlikely that states will ever pull back on NIL revenue for student athletes, and the remaining 6 states still holding out (including Ohio) will likely fall in with everyone else soon. As HS student athletes are allowed to broker deals, some savvy families will explore options around transferring to different schools, or getting creative in new ways so that their child can cash in on a lucrative revenue stream. And who can blame them for pursuing these avenues, especially when we are talking potential 6-figures plus for top student athletes?
Assuming high school sports become quasi-professional, the only place left in America for amateur sports will be your local youth leagues — for now. As strange as it may seem, we are not that far from elite youth-level sports to also employ a professional sports model and begin paying kids. As we see more elite club, select, and travel teams emerge, it seems logical for businesses to begin exploring how they might broker deals with youth kids, coaches, and entire youth sport organizations. If this should occur, amateur sports will become a thing of the past in the United States.
Final thoughts
“The horse has left the barn” is an accurate phrase to use in this moment when talking about amateur sports in our country. College athletes are professional athletes today, with the best making millions of dollars annually. Elite high school athletes are also cashing in with NIL revenue in 44 of 50 states, with the last few states likely to concede in the years ahead. Youth sports, for now, remain pure and uncontaminated from the professionalization of sports, though likely not for long. While it’s difficult to criticize anyone from earning money by playing sports, it is also sad to see student athletes begin to think more about the money they can make than the great memories and friendships created through amateur sports.
drstankovich.com
