NIL in High School Sports: Complete Guide to Name, Image, and Likeness Rights for Student-Athletes
The NIL Revolution Reaches High School: Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights have transformed college athletics, and now this revolution is extending to high school sports. As of 2025, at least 42 states and the District of Columbia allow high school athletes to profit from their NIL, creating unprecedented opportunities—and complex challenges—for student-athletes, schools, and families. Understanding this rapidly evolving landscape is essential for everyone involved in high school athletics. Picture this: A talented high school quarterback with thousands of social media followers receives an offer from a local business to promote their sports equipment store. A standout basketball player signs an endorsement deal with a regional training facility. A softball star creates branded merchandise sold to supporters who followed her journey to all-state honors. These scenarios, once impossible under high school sports regulations, are now reality in most states across America.
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