NIL has forever changed the landscape of college sports, but in many states, NIL also has the chance to impact high school student-athletes. Currently, 37 states allow high school athletes to sign NIL deals, while five are considering the legislation to allow these contracts and seven prohibit the practice.
New Balance has jumped head first into the high school NIL game by signing five high school student-athletes in those states that permit it, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Virginia and Missouri. With the addition of these five athletes, New Balance now boasts six total high school-level student-athletes.
These track and field and cross-country stars from across the country include Jake Odey Jordan, Olivia Cieslak, Josiah Tostenson, Cole Boone and Elyse Wilmes. According to the National Federation of State High School Association, “The financial opportunities for high school athletes are not just for product endorsement, gear sales or the more traditional NIL models – interscholastic opportunities can be much more sophisticated.”
So while many assume these student-athletes are looking forward to a big pay day or wearing New Balance shoes and gear at their next meets, in reality, they could be crafting more unique opportunities than fans have seen so far including social media influencing or cryptocurrency payments.
The report form NFHS continued, “The most common limitations on high school NIL are that the athlete cannot use the school’s name, uniform, mascot, etc., as part of what they market for NIL. At the high school level, the brand’s value is not linked to the school the athlete attends but is linked to the individual.”
As these high school athletes level up, and earn the opportunity to play at the college level, their NIL partnerships will change and grow with them, especially as competing at the college level allows for more freedom with NIL deals. For the student-athletes signed with New Balance in particular, several of them have already shared commitments to future college programs. It has prompted online questions about fair recruiting practices and the impact NIL has on those decisions.
