Many of us have fond memories of playing sports in high school. Whether you were a state champion or not, sports taught important lessons around teamwork, discipline and overcoming obstacles — lessons that last into adulthood.
Now, however, some high school athletes will have to learn how to navigate a new terrain, as a Louisiana law will soon fully open the world of name, image and likeness — which has already upended college athletics — to a younger cohort.
Act 810 by Rep. Rashid Young, D-Homer, passed last session by the Legislature, goes into effect Aug. 1. It bars high schools from preventing student athletes from making money through endorsement deals.
We can see that lawmakers took care to set a few guardrails around these NIL deals, including prohibiting athletes from endorsing alcoholic beverages, drugs, gambling, weapons or adult entertainment. They also stipulated that parents must sign off on the deals for those under 18 and that high schools can bar students from doing NIL-related work during school hours or on school property.
The law came after extensive study by Louisiana’s NIL Task Force, made up of legislators, coaches lawyers, athletic administrators and the student athletes themselves.
Another law, Act 895, by state Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, requires anyone who wants to be an agent for high school or college athletes to register with the state. Attorney General Liz Murrill launched a registry this month that requires anyone who wants to be an agent to undergo a criminal background check. The law also stipulates that the agent has to give any athlete represented a written disclosure of the details of the NIL or endorsement deal that includes the services provided, fees charged and anyone else benefiting from the deal.
These are good steps. We recognize that all involved have taken a thoughtful approach to how to protect high schoolers from unscrupulous actors.
And though we wish there were serious discussion of whether NIL should be allowed to invade sports at this level, perhaps the current legal landscape makes it inevitable.
That’s why it’s imperative we educate these young people and their parents about the business they are getting involved in. We are happy to see some high schools already offering information sessions on NIL. We would hope the Louisiana High School Athletic Association would also be actively involved in providing guidance.
Those who say NIL won’t change the game for these athletes and schools are being naive. We have already seen how an NIL arms race has changed the face of college athletics. High school athletes have enough on their plates, and their youth and inexperience can be exploited by some who see them just as cash cows.
But the memories that high school sports can create are priceless. We should ensure that this new generation of student athletes has a chance to develop a love of the game before anything else.
That is what will sustain them through the years.
