Exploring the controversial landscape of NIL compensation in high school athletics.
By: Alana Loinaz
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The scenario of school athletics in the United States has been experiencing many changes over the past few years. The introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) into the world of youth sports raised the debate on whether or not teenagers should be getting paid.
“Everything starts with the NBA,” Dan Monson, basketball coach said. “Whatever the NBA does, everyone emulates. And then what the colleges do, the high schools emulate.”
Opportunities related to NIL allow student athletes to engage in endorsement deals and profit from their Name, Image and Likeness without losing amateur status. It provides them with the possibility to create their personal brands, but it also compromises fair competition.
“NIL is making the haves and the have-nots more separated,” JJ Fiddler, sports journalist said. “NIL makes it harder for schools such as Long Beach State to compete with UCLA or USC all the way from recruitment to competing on the field.”
High school athletes across the country have also been navigating the controversial landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness. While college students have freedom to get paid for their NIL, high school athletes need to be careful in order not to compromise their eligibility within their sport or high school.
“I used to play volleyball in high school and it took me a while to even hear anything about NIL,” Keira Spiller, former volleyball player said. “I understand many of the negative aspects, but I wonder what the differences are between high school athletes getting paid and underage actors getting paid.”
The question has been raised: should they be paid or not? How much can we question fairness and ethics in sports when underage students are involved? Are we doubting these talented and hard-working teens or protecting them?
“The fundamental principle of it is absolutely a great idea and it is absolutely something that should happen,” Monson said. “But right now they have got to tighten the rules because guys are just getting guaranteed money that has nothing to do with their NIL, but it’s ‘pay for play.’ They have got to separate those two things.”
There is a lot more to high school NIL than the surface shows. Some of the benefits include recognition, financial relief, and college recruitment. However, the dangers of it are related to underage exposure, parental pressure and exploitation, academic distraction, and unfair competition. Discussions are being raised across the country, and there are many details to be considered.
“People forget that this issue goes beyond whatever your state says,” Payton Smith, former soccer player said. “We are talking about teenagers who may or may not be experiencing a lot of pressure to play sports. There are many positive aspects related to financial stability, for example, but how do we draw a line?”
