NYSPHSAA says high school athletes can profit from name and image. What we know
High school athletes who make a name for themselves in New York can now make some coin.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association on Wednesday announced that it has revised its rule regarding amateur athletes in New York and they can now benefit from their name, image and/or likeness. It follows the July 1 date that allowed NCAA athletes to cash in on the same premise in what’s widely being called NIL rights.
On Wednesday, NYSPHSAA said in a statement that student-athletes can “participate in commercial endorsements provided there is no school team, school, section or NYSPHSAA affiliation.”
Student-athletes who land endorsements are not allowed to appear in the uniform of his or her school for the endorsement. Further, logos or identification of the school, section or NYSPHSAA cannot be part of any endorsement.
College sports took a dramatic turn in the last year, when the NCAA stopped fighting requests to allow athletes to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness.
NYSPHSAA decided to take a look at its amateur rule that has existed since 1980 and approved changes in its wording.
"The need was to do it before it became an issue for a student-athlete," NYSPHSAA spokesperson Chris Watson said. "Don't have a student-athlete have an opportunity to endorse, but then have an issue with their eligibility because the rule hadn’t been looked at."
Watson said there has been no situation involving a student-athlete receiving compensation for the use of their NIL that NYSPHSAA knows of, so far.
"It was let's get in front of this, let's be proactive instead of reactive," Watson said. "At some point, a student-athlete (in New York State) is going to have the opportunity."
Canandaigua Academy athletic director Jim Simmons agrees. He said the issue has been a topic for a few months at the state level and he saw this coming.
"I'm not sure there would be a demand but I could be wrong," he said. "Maybe for a state wrestling champ or the quarterback of a football team that's a state champion. But you'd have to be pretty well-known to make it worthwhile."
The tweet by NYSPHSAA includes an acknowledgement that the organization is not able to prevent a student-athlete from receiving endorsements, gifts, money or financial backing in general. But anyone who wants to play the 32 sports endorsed by NYSPHSAA has to do so by the organization's rules.
"If a kid has an opportunity to become endorser, an influencer, an opportunity to do that, you have the ability to monetize your name, image and likeness," Watson said. "You can’t do it with your school, your school team, school outfit or uniform."
NIL in Section V?
Section V executive director Kathy Hoyt has not yet dealt with area athletes pursuing NIL engagements.
Hoyt said the NYSPHSAA got "ahead of the 8-ball" with its adjustments to the outdated amateur rule.
"At this point we haven't had to deal with it. But now that we have the adjustment to the amateur rule it's very clear that a student involved with one of our programs, if they were to ever sign a contract, they can do it, but not in affiliation with their school, section or state," Hoyt said.
The immediate thought is of a big-time national deal for an athlete, but the ruling opens the opportunity at any level.
"Maybe a local business, a car dealer or a restaurant," said Simmons. "But again, it would have to be somebody who is high profile, someone who set a big record or did something really unique."
How will NIL affect Section III?
Section III executive director John Rathbun said the revision to name, image and/or likeness is a good move for students.
He said he's not sure how many students in the area it will ultimately affect and he wasn't of aware any who might take advantage of NIL possibilities as of Wednesday evening. He cited Buddy Boeheim, the former Jamesville-DeWitt standout and Syracuse University basketball player, as an example of someone who has taken advantage of NIL opportunities in recent months.
"You never know. We may have that next great football player or cross-country runner come out of (Section III). We’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of the students," said Rathbun, who oversees the section that includes schools in Oneida and Herkimer counties.
He said his advice to students is to have discussions with their parents and respective athletic directors to see what's possible.
"To me it is almost like a part-time job where you go and deliver newspapers or whatever it may be," Rathbun said. "If somebody can generate some revenue and benefit from this, God bless them."
Rathbun noted it will be important to educate students about what they can and can't do as far as pursuing NIL engagements. He said producing a video on NIL has been discussed.
He noted there was "no negative feedback within Section III" as they were preparing in recent months.
"I know there are some states that don’t even want to touch this and have some sort of policy. But, I think New York state is a little more proactive and leading the way here," Rathbun said.
High school NIL pioneer
Mikey Williams, a 17-year-old five-star high school basketball player, became a pioneer when he signed an NIL deal with Excel Sports Management this summer. Tiger Woods is one of that groups high profile athletes.
Williams is expected to make "millions" from endorsements and sponsorships. He recently transferred from his North Carolina school to his home state of California.
"The NIL rules provide a new opportunity for someone like me who has put in so much energy and effort into building a community. I am excited to be the first high school athlete to make this move. I love to hoop and I love engaging with my fans and look forward to continuing to share my journey with everyone," Williams told ESPN in a statement.
Arch Manning, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew to Peyton and Eli, is a Class of 2023 quarterback at Isadore Newman in New Orleans. He's already received offers from LSU, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and Texas and Darren Rovell, who covers the business of sports for Action Network, say the NIL ruling could see Arch earn in the range of $10 million by the time he's a college freshman.
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Observer-Dispatch sports reporter Ben Birnell contributed to this report.