In a handful of states, high school athletes have started making endorsement deals with pizza parlors, apparel companies and smartphone apps — cashing in on their status as star players.
Throughout much of the country, such deals would still cause students to forfeit their athletic eligibility. But the landscape is shifting quickly. Eight state athletic associations now allow high schoolers to profit from their name, image and likeness, known as NIL. More than a dozen states are considering similar changes, according to Opendorse, a Nebraska-based marketing platform for athletes.
The high school push follows last year’s change at the college level, when many states enacted laws allowing athletes to accept endorsements and the NCAA rolled back its longstanding rules banning such deals. The NCAA ban had served as a de facto prohibition for high school athletes who wanted to preserve their college eligibility.
