Two HS Basketball Players Latest To Eearn NIL Deals

Wait until you see the impact on athletes at high school if Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL ) legislation is a game changer for college athletics.

Ian Jackson, who is 16, of Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx, and Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, who is 15, of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, NY have become the latest high school athletes to sign NIL deals as more and more states are approving NIL legislation for high school athletes.

Jackson will be paid money by Spreadshop for selling merchandise that features his name on it. Fland, however, will get a share from other companies. Both will also be given a base salary if they promote their respective company’s products on social media.

Jackson stated that he has been saving money for the purchase of a house for his family.

“I want to put my family in a better place,” Jackson said.

Fland has also hoped to spend the money on his family.

“It’s been a very big deal,” he said. “All the hard work is finally paying off.”

This trend is seen as positive by some, but many people fear that it could lead to future problems.

Matthew Mitten from Marquette University, Milwaukee is a professor of sports law. Mitten said NIL deals can have potential pitfalls at high school and college level. This could lead to families not understanding why these deals were made for young athletes.

“I think they’re going to have to be careful,” Mitten said. “There’s a whole lot of legal issues that minors and their parents and guardians won’t be familiar with.”

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Both have their pros and cons. One, it will give low-income high school athletes the chance to earn money to help their families. The other side is that it blurs the distinction between amateur and professional athletes. This could lead to financial abuse of young men by big companies. This could make it difficult for high school athletes to look beyond the 12th grade, and instead focus their attention on the present.

While it is possible to predict whether this will be a positive thing or not, we all know that commercializing any product in unethical ways can lead to bad results.