Effectively keeping Ohio school athletes amateurs, a majority of Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools voted down an initiative to allow high school athletes to benefit financially on their name, image and likeness (NIL) in the same manner in which college athletes can now gain profit.
The Tuesday, May 17, vote was 538 to 254, with some abstentions, as 813 of Ohio’s 817 Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools cast their ballots and elected not to pass a proposed amendment to the association’s Amateurism Bylaw 4-10. Had the proposition passed, Ohio would have been the 10th state to allow NIL-generated revenue for high school athletes. Currently, Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Utah have approved student-athlete likeness profits, and the matter is being considered in 10 additional states and the District of Columbia. The proposal has been disallowed in 31 states.
Under the initiative, endorsement deals and other manners of profit from NIL would not have impacted eligibility, and the student-athletes would still have been prohibited from marketing school name, logo, mascot and/or other trademarks as well as outlawing casino, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, vape and drug promotions. Additionally, promotions would not have been permitted to occur during team activities, and money earned could not benefit athletic departments or teams.
NIL revenue sources include building personal brands or platforms, paid public appearances, sponsoring or endorsing products including shoes and automobiles, selling digital images, custom or name-oriented apparel and merchandise, participation in youth camps, and social media fees, advertising and influencer-generated profits.
OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said member schools determine the organization’s action.
"Every year, the referendum voting process shows that our member schools have a voice in this democratic process," Ute said. "Our office was very pleased with the discussion and insights our schools expressed this spring as we met with them about each of the 14 proposals. If NIL is going to enter the Ohio interscholastic landscape, we want the schools to be the ones to make that determination."
Earlier this year, The Athletic reported that an unnamed high school junior and five-star football prospect had signed an NIL deal that would pay him $350,000 up front and which would produce an expected $8 million by the athlete’s junior year of college.
Said Ute: "Whatever we do moving forward, it will include discussion on (NIL) with our school administrators, board of directors, staff and leaders of other state high school athletic associations.”
