High school NIL grows some in N.C.; local impact remains minimal
Two years ago, some feared that by now, the best player on every high school sports team in America would be getting paid. It was then that a Wake County judge granted an injunction that struck down North Carolina’s ban on high school athletes being able to be paid for their name, image and likeness. Much was made at the time of the importance of establishing a means for high school athletes nationwide to have access to the same deals college kids were getting. North Carolina followed suit with other states, establishing an NIL platform for high school athletes similar to the NCAA’s wide-sweeping changes that allowed outside entities to pay the players who were responsible for generating much of the popularity, exposure and revenue enjoyed by their schools. Since the door was kicked open, high school NIL deals in North Carolina have grown somewhat, but their average payout isn’t much and their reach hasn’t been far. Pitt County this year has one athlete on an NIL deal, a first for the county. But the question remains, is the high school NIL era ever really going to catch on? “I would say as far as the big picture goes, what
