PENNSYLVANIA — It’s a new age for amateur athletics.
After the NCAA began allowing college athletes to sign name, image, and likeness (NIL) endorsement deals last year, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is now weighing a similar policy for Pennsylvania high school athletes.
According to the PIAA’s executive director, Bob Lombardi, the sport’s governing body approved the first reading of a new NIL policy Wednesday.
It would permit students to endorse products, participate in promotions, and take part in social media campaigns in exchange for cash.
“A student that is a violin player can certainly reap the rewards of their name, image, and likeness, as we speak, so we would like to make sure that we’re treating the athletes the same way,” said Lombardi.
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There would be strict guidelines to follow.
Partnerships with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and firearm companies would be banned.
Students also would not be allowed to wear their school uniform in advertisements or make any reference to their school, team mascot, or even the PIAA.
“It’s the student’s name, it’s the student’s image, and the student’s likeness. It’s not any reference to his ability to be part of a school team or a school affiliation,” said Lombardi.
In an effort to deter any shady recruiting practices, any adult affiliated with a PIAA school would be barred from soliciting or negotiating any NIL endorsement deals.
“We wanted to make sure that schools were not attracting students by giving them possible compensations, endorsements, or undue influence for them to move to that school,” said Lombardi. “That’s not the purpose of this at all.”
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The PIAA has received input from Pennsylvania colleges, including Pitt and Penn State.
It has also modeled its framework around policies that nine other states have already adopted.
“There’s about four or five others that are in the process of approving, and then there’s about another 10, like us, that are exploring,” said Lombardi.
The guidelines still need to receive votes for approval at two more PIAA meetings.
If that happens, the policy could take effect as soon as this fall or winter.
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