The IHSA will soon be taking up an issue that was recently settled at the collegiate level.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson says many state athletic associations are taking up the question on whether or not high school student-athletes should profit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
Anderson told RFD Illinois that currently NIL is governed under one of IHSA’s by-laws: “We have had discussions among board members about NIL. Current governance for our membership would be related to our Amateurism by-law, which was obviously written long before NIL was even a thought. It’s likely a time where we will revisit that by-law. During the Fall, we have our annual review of our by-laws. Anyone from our membership can bring forward changes. I do anticipate that we will get some more [clarity on the issue.] Somebody from our membership will bring forth more specific language within that by-law that will give our schools and the student-athletes some guidance related to the NIL. When it was adopted at the collegiate level, it was generally inevitable that it was going to push its way down to the high school [level], and it has rather quickly…I think we are going to have some discussion at our town meetings in November. That will be followed up potentially by the membership agreeing to some language related to how NIL and Amateurism [is governed] and how that line is going to fall for student-athletes in Illinois.”
The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced last week student-athletes are now eligible in that state to make money from the use of their name, image, and likeness. According to the Iowa rules from a report from WeAreIowa.com, students’ NIL compensation cannot be reliant on athletic success, be used as an incentive to attend certain schools, or be provided by schools or by “an agent of the schools.” The Iowa policy still prohibits student-athletes from being paid to play and from getting paid to attend certain schools.