Welter: High School NIL won't be easy, but it's our responsibility to make it work
Posted May 8, 2023 12:03 a.m. EDT
Updated May 9, 2023 9:20 a.m. EDT
Artificial intelligence can do your job and high school athletes can get paid for their name, image and likeness. The worlds changing fast. For the first time in my life, I’m afraid I can’t keep up.
The AI thing is a true existential threat. Not only is AI attempting journalism it’s making Drake songs and even redesigning mascots. These things will haunt your dreams. We’ve all seen "Terminator 2". We know how Skynet ends.
High School athletes making money is less Arnold Schwarzenegger and more new season of "Friday Night Lights". We've seen NIL take over college sports, high school was the next logical step.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved a proposal last Wednesday to allow NIL deals starting July first. North Carolina would be the 28th state to join the movement. The state senate promptly amended bill 636 preventing any change without the state board of educations approval. So this might not change now, but it's coming. When it does will their be corruption? Jealous locker rooms and potentially tragic mistakes? Well there already are.
Former North Carolina high school basketball player Mikey Williams has millions of followers on social media and the NIL money to match. He recently plead not guilty to multiple felony charges related to a shooting at his house in San Diego. Child stardom is a dangerous thing.
For most kids this is just going to be a few autographs, camps and sponsored social media posts. Big time local recruits like Nathan Leacock (Millbrook High School now at the University of Tennessee) and Noah Rogers (Rolesville High School now at Ohio State University) definitely could have benefited last year. Same with local Olympic swimmer Claire Curzan (Cardinal Gibbons).
If we don't let them do it here, they will leave North Carolina for a state that will. They are no different than kid musicians or actors who can all profit from their skill. So why are we stopping them?
Ultimately I think NIL is less about the governing bodies and more about us as parents, mentors and coaches. Like a 16 year old taking drivers ed, we need to make sure they understand the dangers and the stakes. The future is being written, we will have a real hand in what it looks like. Artifical Intelligence can't take care of our kids.
