NIL (name, image, and likeness) reached high school sports, and with it a wave of confusion and a fresh crop of people trying to make money off teenagers. The short version for Colorado families:
What is generally allowed
CHSAA permits high school athletes to earn NIL money, with conditions that matter:
- Deals cannot be tied to athletic performance or used as a recruiting inducement to attend a school.
- You cannot use your school's name, logos, or uniforms in NIL activity without permission.
- Compensation must be for actual NIL activity (a social post, an appearance, a lesson), not a disguised pay-for-play arrangement.
Rules evolve; check CHSAA's current bylaws before signing anything. That sentence is not a formality. Rules have changed multiple times in recent years.
What can cost you eligibility
- Deals contingent on where you enroll (that is an inducement, the fastest way to trouble).
- Using school marks without permission.
- Missing the paperwork: some situations require disclosure. When in doubt, ask your AD before, not after.
- For NCAA purposes: agents. Marketing representation for NIL is treated differently than athletic representation, and the line is technical. Get the current rule from the Eligibility Center before anyone "represents" your athlete.
The NIL scams already circulating
- Pay-to-join NIL "platforms" that charge athletes a monthly fee to be listed for deals that never come. Real NIL money flows TO the athlete. Anyone charging you to maybe earn is running the same playbook as the recruiting services.
- "NIL collectives" for high schoolers promising college deals if you commit somewhere. That is an inducement with a hat on.
- Percentage agreements signed early. A marketer who takes 20 percent of everything forever, signed when your athlete is 16, is not a partner. Never sign multi-year representation in high school without a lawyer reading it.
The honest math
Unless your athlete has a large following or elite-level recruitment, high school NIL money is small: think hundreds, not thousands. That is fine. The point is not to get rich at 17; it is to avoid losing eligibility or signing away future money for present pocket change. Grades, film, and development remain worth more than any deal you will be offered this year.