On July 24, 2024, The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) adopted a rule allowing athletes to accept money from NIL deals. NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness. Before, Florida high school athletes couldn’t make money off their name, image, or likeness. Now they can, with deals that come in the form of sponsorships from companies like Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas.
NIL deals provide athletes with great opportunities. However, many think this change is starting to turn high school sports into a non-authentic business opportunity.
At Bolles, many top athletes are exposed to these deals. One of these athletes is Simeon Caldwell ’26, a top linebacker in his class.
Caldwell supports NIL deals for high schoolers. “I think it’s a good opportunity for some of the top prospects to earn money in high school. High school is becoming more of a job now. Like any job, you want a reward for it.”
Although Caldwell has been offered potential NIL deals, he has declined them. “I didn’t take the deals,” he said. “It’s not too important to me right now. I just want to focus on helping the team win and being the best version of myself, I don’t want to get too caught up in that because it’s a distraction and takes away from our team goal.”
This narrative about NIL has been around for a long time before it entered high schools. Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban shared his thoughts on NIL deals when he visited Capitol Hill in early March of this year. Saban supported the idea of athletes making money before going pro, but he also explained his concerns about athletes getting caught up in money and losing sight of what is important. Saban said, “All they care about is how much you’re going to pay them, they don’t care about how we’re going to develop them.”
NIL can provide high school athletes with great opportunities, especially for those who are less fortunate. However, as a high school athlete, the money can be distracting. It is vital for high school athletes to keep their minds on the game and not on the dough
At the collegiate level, NIL deals have already had a massive impact. NIL deals really haven’t been that positive. We could see much stronger regulations in High School athletics to prevent negative impact while allowing players to make money of their own. It is vital for high school athletes to keep their minds on the game they have worked so hard for and not get distracted by the dough.
