In June 2021, the NCAA implemented a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy allowing college athletes to make money while playing sports for their schools. Over the past three years this policy has trickled down into high school athletics and is now impacting Xavier athletes and their community.
Name, Image and Likeness deals are now being offered to high school athletes who excel in their sports. At Xavier, there are a plethora of outstanding athletes. The AIA policy strictly prohibits the involvement of high school athletes in Name, Image and Likeness deals.
In the middle of August of this year, many Xavier athletes were bombarded with text messages, email notifications and social media requests offering future deals. Xavier promptly asked students not to respond or engage with these solicitations.
Athletic director, Sister Lynn Winsor, strongly discouraged students from any interaction with these offers that included the school name, colors or uniform. “We shut these offers down as fast as possible, because kids have been trapped and lost their eligibility to continue high school sports.”
Winsor suggests to “follow the money” and see why these companies are taking the “student” out of “student-athlete.”
Xavier athletes are students first. By entering into professional deals, their academic successes and experiences of youth are at risk.
Most importantly, paying high school students creates professionals out of amateurs, taking an element of fun out of high school sports. The AIA will not allow a student to continue competing in AIA games, races or matches if she or he is being paid through an NIL deal, since that person would now be a professional.
Not only are these deals outlawed by the AIA, they can often harm students’ reputations, while cheating them out of hard-earned money. When companies contact students, they often take advantage of their vulnerabilities and compensate them with less than deserved. Students may only be receiving a miniscule percentage of the company’s profits.
Before students involve themselves in NIL deals, the athletic department urges students to discuss the specifics of this deal with them to assure the situation is handled with care.
Xavier athletes are required to attend a meeting at the beginning of the season to discuss guidelines for the following season.
Xavier’s social media manager, Zachary Carlson, understands the responsibilities that come with online presence. In the digital age, young athletes are targeted through social media platforms. Social media is often used to attract and contact high school athletes in search of NIL deals. This year, Carlson had to dedicate part of the presentation to alert athletes about the risks of associating their names, images or likenesses with non-AIA corporations.
On average, at least 20 Xavier athletes sign National Letters of Intent to play their sports in college. Once these athletes have committed to a college, the NIL deals are often more ubiquitous.
When athletes begin at their future colleges, more NIL opportunities will come their way. The Xavier athletic department aims to educate athletes so they can make the more fruitful and competent choices when they enter that next step of athletics.
Bianca Willis ‘26 recently committed to The University of Colorado at Boulder for soccer. “NIL deals are a big deal because it gives college athletes a voice and an image. I’m excited to take part in the challenge of earning money once in college,” she stated.
Annemarie O’Gara ‘25 committed to the University of California, Berkeley this past summer. She navigated NIL deals by understanding that high school is a time of skill-perfection, and college is where money can be earned for those skills.
“I think they will be beneficial in college, but as of now I am focusing on preparing for the next level, instead of making deals now,” said O’Gara.
Athletes, coaches and parents alike should be on watch for potentially harmful “deals.” Student athletes deserve to be students and children first, a value Winsor and the rest of the athletic department guarantees to uphold.
