One of my favorite sports books of all-time is Bruce Feldman’s 2007 release Meat Market.
Meat Market gave the reader, at the time, an in-depth look at the “smash-mouth world of college football recruiting.”
It gave us an early look at Ed Orgeron while he was the head coach at Ole Miss and his approach to the recruitment of players.
A lot has changed in those 15 years since the book’s release. Heck, a lot has changed in recruiting in the last year alone.
The past year opened the forbidden door of “Name, Image and Likeness” deals for college athletes.
It’s become such a big deal in such a short amount of time that the recruiting website On3.com now has something called the NIL 100. That is a list compiled of the Top 100 amateur athletes and, for lack of a better way of putting it, their NIL market value.
For the record, high school basketball player Bronny James tops the list at a staggering $8.3m. Recently departed former LSU basketball player Shareef O’Neal is third on that list at a $2.3m valuation, and Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning is fifth on that list with a $1.6m valuation.
Three of the top five players on the list are high school athletes, which brings us to the very real possibility of players like Manning making those fictional millions a reality after last Thursday.
The LHSAA cleared the way on Thursday for high school athletes to potentially pursue NIL deals in approving a positioning statement concerning NIL guidelines.
The organization also approved a state-wide deal with Eccker Sports to provide educational opportunities to high school administrators, coaches, athletes and parents about the vast landscape of NIL.
“As an education-based association, I think it is imperative that everyone associated with high school athletics in Louisiana is properly educated and informed on Name, Image, and Likeness,” said Eddie Bonine, Executive Director of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. “There is a lot to NIL and it’s a moving target that we need to stay on top of.
“I am honored that Eccker Sports, with all their experience and everything they have to offer, has chosen to launch with us. The educational programming and toolbox they provide is going to be very valuable to all the individuals who participate in this and will benefit our students throughout the state.”
First, I’d like to commend the LHSAA on reaching an agreement that, in theory, will give all parties involved proper educational resources to navigate a brave new world.
Now, let’s talk about the potential negatives of such a situation.
In my opinion, there is no world where you can release the majority of high school kids into an advertisement-based world and expect them to come out of the other side with their childhood in-tact.
This certainly isn’t every kid, but it is some kids who might fall into this trap.
Now, let’s extrapolate out this NIL exercise shall we?
Let’s say a small-town kid is a major recruit and he has enough notoriety to garner a deal with a company that advertises on a state-wide basis.
Let’s put the number at say, he or her being paid $100,000 to be a part of a television commercial campaign.
There is nothing to prevent that child from getting too big for his or her britches and letting that money get to their heads and there could be nothing to prevent these obligations from getting in the way of their studies and their academic futures.
Obviously, that’s where parents, coaches and administrators come into play in terms of mentoring.
But money, as they say, is the root of all evil. A teenager with too much disposable income could be a dangerous proposition.
Kids freak out over $20. A few thousand, or even a few hundred, changes dynamics within a team radically.
I’m not against the idea of kids making pocket change on a weekend off of their likeness. That would fall within the realm of a part-time job. A more profitable and low-impact equivalent to flipping burgers. That’s not the worst thing in the world.
However, my wish would’ve been for the LHSAA to take a “wait-and-see” approach to see exactly how the NCAA and other amateur organizations evolved within the NIL landscape.
I understand and appreciate Mr. Bonine’s desire to be proactive. However, it is a fine line between proactive and throwing caution to the wind.
I’m hoping it truly turns out to be the former and not the latter.
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