A Dayton family is suing the OHSAA over its ban of high school athletes receiving NIL money. It’s a showdown over show me the money, and could it wreck everything you ever wanted to believe about high school sports.
Last week was the week when Wayne High School wide receiver Jamier Brown, and his family, chose to bring suit against the Ohio High School Athletic Association over its bylaw that bans Ohio high school athletes from receiving compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness to promote products and services.
The acronym being NIL, and the unleashing of factors that will forever change how we view, and appreciate, amateur sports as we’ve known them. Because, when you consider all the ramifications, NIL might more probably mean (N)ot (I)n (L)ine…with reality.
And this reality. Many who push the pedal forward for revenue sharing…are the same people who declare that we should abolish capitalism, altogether. So what to believe, when there’s a faint odor of NIL versus hypocrisy.
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The OHSAA issued a statement last week saying that the member schools would have an emergency vote to uphold the current rule…or change it to fall in line with 44 other states that already allow high schoolers to collect quarters and dimes that satisfy the fantasy that their community status somehow helps local business to sell more goods and services. It may, or it might not. Never, since NIL for NCAA athletes was declared legal in 2021, have I heard a ringing endorsement on the part of any benefactor…that the impact of the beneficiary’s name, image, and likeness has, percentage-wise, made their business soar.
Again, it may have, I don’t know. I’ve never heard the numbers. And something that good would be hard to conceal in this day of self promotion and social media.
Jamier Brown is the state’s top wide receiver prospect, a five-star recruit, and already a commit to play for Ohio State following his graduation from Wayne next year (class of 2027). That’s all good. And his action to benefit from his notoriety is not unexpected, according to OHSAA media director, Tim Stried, who issued the following statement last week.
“We had our schools vote on NIL four years ago, and our schools voted it down at the time,” said Stried to a Cleveland media outlet. “But as we’ve all seen, NIL is not going anywhere. So we’ve been expecting this as we’re one of only six states that don’t allow it (NIL). We’re in the minority.”
The family’s attorney argues that his client has already missed out on as much as $100,000 in endorsements for merchandise and representation. Which, considering Ohio’s conservative pedigree as a whole, might seem to many as little more than pie in the sky. Because with endorsement comes the reality of expectation, what business people refer to as a return on investment. And is it not fair to ask…what am I getting for my $100,000?
And let’s put that question in another unpopular context involving the amateur athlete. And that is…the pressure to perform, not only on the field, but now at the cash register, itself.
As far as I know, it’s never been done, or proven. Just something that if you’re a high school athlete you question in addition to the stress of school, grades, social assimilation, and athletic expectation. Brown is quoted as saying that NIL would allow him to focus more on school and football, and take the stress off his mother, who serves as his guardian. But thousands of kids are able to focus on school and sports without being paid $100,000…no? And every day someone writes to say that pressure on kids to perform – to win – is a bad thing.
And has anyone considered the ancillary issues?
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Who’s the last teenager you’ve met who knows about the IRS…who understands you only see about half of the $100 thousand, because the government gets the rest? And who manages to get those quarterly taxes paid, and on time? I have trouble enough myself.
And, what happens to the high school athlete if he or she is injured and can’t play? Do they still get paid? They probably do if the deal is based on their social media presence and image, and not performance. But wouldn’t you think they’d have to play to have an image? Otherwise, they’re just another student.
By the way, how many of you have been in a high school locker room…where that green-eyed monster called jealousy over cars, sneakers, and girl friends lives in every locker. And the quarterback who’s getting $100,000, or a new truck, is not obligated to share that with his teammates? Ooooh……..!
I’m told by those more expert than myself, that it’s bad for unity and team morale – a nightmare for coaches. I have no experience because once upon a time I played for the fun of it, but I’m fairly wise regarding the human spirit. You can make fun of someone’s haircut all you want. But don’t mess with their money!
The OHSAA has worked for years to make people respect their attempts at competitive balance – of schools and open enrollment…eligibility for athletes that transfer from one school to another…socio-economic considerations…and schools that have a winning tradition such that they’re literally intimidating to other schools of like size. So what happens now, with districts that have greater financial resources, with advantaged athletes encouraged to go where the grass is greener, literally? The kind of green that spends.
And let’s be realistic. There’s only a few. But that’s enough.
Wouldn’t this be a nightmare for governing bodies like the OHSAA, that would be questionably helpless to monitor who’s getting paid (above board, and otherwise), and would face a revolving door of lawsuits?
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
And is it the end of trust across the state over who’s eligible, or even legal? Can you not imagine a scenario over legitimacy of the state tournaments – questions over who’s playing, and how they got to a particular school? Many suspect it already. Who hasn’t heard the phrase, ‘the best team money can buy?’
Is it too much to envision a Shelby County championship…Hamilton County, or Franklin, Cuyahoga, and Lucas County championship? The bigger the business community, the bigger the trophy?
The imagination runs wild!
Absurd, you say? Well it used to be. But in today’s culture of it’s not absurd if someone believes it…it’s worth a shot. Whoever believed they’d see the day when a high school player says he needs $100,000 to play football so he could focus better on going to school?
And are we not so far from $100,000 to attend school so you can focus on tennis?
Call it cynical, but we all have a nose. And who can’t smell what’s cooking?
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