The world is a funny place.
Every previous generation is the greatest generation.
My generation was told our brains would rot because of video games and technologies. A generation before that was told that TV would ruin them.
In everyone’s eyes, the world was better when they were younger. It’s a fact of life that all of our rose-colored glasses are tinted through nostalgia.
Everyone wishes the current generation would go outside more, fight less and make – you know – the kind of choices we made when we were younger.
It’s the actuality that life is more or less quite similar to what it was in the previous generation’s Utopia spin on it. Crime rates were roughly the same, just less publicized because of the technological strides we’ve made.
Not completely, but mostly.
The macro side of things pretty much stay static. It’s the micro, the everyday life stuff, that we should focus on.
Teaching our kids to communicate, to not fall into the comparison trap made prevalent through social media and stuff like that.
At the end of the day, it’s our jobs as parents to make sure our children grow up as normally and as well-adjusted as possible.
Well, parents, I’m glad to tell you that the Florida High School Athletic Association has given us a heck of an opportunity to sit down with our kids and educate them on how the world works.
You see, this week the FHSAA approved a by-law that will permit its high school students to earn money for its Name, Image and Likeness.
Yes, NIL has found its way to the high school level. But, it’s safe to say that it is with a bullet.
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. NIL is here to stay, like it or not.
That cat has gotten out of the bag, marked its territory, made itself at home and will probably bring the claws out if you get too aggressive about it.
The 13-member board of the FHSAA voted unanimously to approve NIL in their state despite concerns that the policy could potentially “accelerate recruiting and exacerbate competitive imbalance.”
Florida is where IMG Academy, the famed high school which is very much a training facility for elite high school athletes to prepare for Division I athletics, is located. That school, however, isn’t sanctioned to compete within the FHSAA which means it cannot win state championships.
However, the quotes that came out of this approval are interesting and tell me that the FHSAA knows the risks involved and are prepared to potentially deal with them if they arise.
“It’s not pay-for-performance, per se. But I think we’re trying to avoid what’s happened on the collegiate side," said board member Sara Bayliss. “I don’t think it will be used widely, but our student-athletes should be compensated as long as it falls between the lines and doesn’t become a recruiting problem. If it does, we’ll deal with it.”
The way Florida’s rule is written does not allow its student-athletes to use its school’s logo, uniforms, equipment or any intellectual properties associated with the school.
Parents or guardians must be involved with the negotiation and approve any endorsement opportunity their child would pursue and schools are not allowed to use NIL as an enticement for a student to attend their school and forbids student-athletes from signing an NIL deal after an in-season transfer without a good cause exemption from the relevant school district.
Students violating the NIL policies would result in a formal warning and the termination of the agreement. A second offense would lead to a one-year suspension. NIL collectives, which have become a commonality at the college level, are forbidden by the FHSAA.
Florida is far from the first state to approve NIL among high school student-athletes. That number is now more than 30 states, including Louisiana.
Which leads me to the question that is extremely valid, were any of us even aware that the LHSAA had approved NIL within our state’s schools? And, even if we were, have we seen a dramatic change in how business has been done among high school programs over the last year?
Maybe it hasn’t caught fire yet. I don’t know. But the idea that the possibility of a kid being able to make a few bucks by saying the mom-and-pop ice cream shop has good ice cream doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world.
Checks and balances are needed everywhere we go in life. It’s especially true as we help our children navigate the waters into adulthood.
However, I go back to what I wrote last year about this. The majority of high school kids are overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid.
Student-athletes have a full school day, workouts, practices, any additional homework they might have, social engagements and also have to maintain a job for many of them.
It’s quite possible that, with the right tutelage and safeguards, the use of NIL could make our students better and more productive in the long run.
If Little Johnny has to work 30 hours for a $250 paycheck or can make $250 to do a radio spot about an Oreo milkshake, the opportunity to take something off of his plate and make him more productive in other areas should be welcomed.
Yes, I understand the need for work ethic. Sports still do a great job of teaching our kids that and any active and present parent will ensure that their child will not abuse the system and still learn the necessary work ethic to be thriving adults in the world.
So, while the idea of NIL seems scary, let’s let the witch hunt play out.
It could be a blessing in disguise or the worst thing to ever happen. But, at the end of the day, keep the beginning of this column in mind.
In the grand scheme of things, the big changes matter less and the little things matter more. We are in control of how our children see the world.
We can do our part by being a good human, and being part of the village that helps raise our kids into the next great generation that will ultimately take over once we’ve retired.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.