High school athletes in Wyoming may be soon able to make money off their athletic performance. That’s because the Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) is considering a policy that would allow athletes to pursue Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals under strict parameters in the Cowboy State.
“I feel like we’re missing the opportunity to provide that for our students if we don’t have something,” said WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson. “It’s the right thing to do for our students and our parents.”
Changed Landscape
The presence of NIL in college athletics has dramatically changed the overall dynamic, elevating these athletes from their previously amateur status. Often, these deals come in the form of endorsements for various products or through private collectives specifically set up to pay a school’s athletes.
Currently, Wyoming high school athletes are not allowed to pursue NIL opportunities.
Most other states have already addressed this issue for the high school level, with the vast majority allowing the activity on some level. A total of seven states have also banned it.
Wilson said he hasn’t received any public pressure about it but supports enacting the policy.
“It’s time for us to look at a policy and I think it’s best for us and our kids and our parents to have a chance to earn something off their name, image and likeness,” Wilson said. “It’s just not the NCAA, it’s not even close.”
The Campbell County School District opposes the proposal. Although he’s personally neutral on the topic, Larry Yeradi, a wrestling coach at Wright High School and a member of the WHSAA board of directors, said certain members of his district see no need for a NIL policy at the high school level, nor a need to promote this kind of activity among high schoolers.
Yeradi strongly opposes NIL at the college level, pointing to how it’s made the transfer portal a revolving door with many players now changing teams every year. One extreme example is the fact that the entire Baylor men’s basketball team is now gone.
“I think it’s ruining everything,” Yeradi said.
Wilson and Yeradi believe that NIL is still pretty insignificant at the high school level and the money is nowhere near what’s being thrown around in college these days, with some players inking multi-million dollar deals. He mentioned statistics showing that in the states where high school NIL is legal, only 2% of athletes are taking advantage of it, and of that 2%, less than 1% are actually earning money from it.
“You might get a pizza here or there,” Yeradi said.
What also could save the integrity of high school sports in Wyoming compared to college is the fact that the WHSAA has transfer regulations and strictly prohibits any acts of undue influence.
“That prevents the recruiting chaos the NCAA is in,” Wilson said.
What Would Wyoming Look Like
Student athletes are already allowed to have jobs in Wyoming so what the rules would do is allow for the creation of employment opportunities for them acquired through their athletic performance.
The policy being proposed in Wyoming would be much stricter than what’s allowed at the NCAA level however, which Wilson now considers the “Wild Wild West.” If approved as currently drafted, athletes would be prohibited from wearing their uniform or other school clothing or gear in their NIL activities. They’d also be blocked from using their school facilities or game or practice film in their NIL activities.
“So it doesn’t take away what that student athlete is doing during the school day,” Yeradi said. “Protect that young man or woman during the high school day and keep it separate from the high school realm.”
For example, if Johnny the high school football star wanted to team up for a social media campaign with his local ice cream shop, the only way the viewer could know that Johnny was a talented football player is from previously knowing his football exploits.
The rules would also prohibit athletes from receiving pay or other benefits from their school or NIL collectives. Those found breaking the rules could suffer ineligibility for activity participation.
Wilson said Wyoming’s proposed rules were modeled most similarly off rules just passed in Montana, as well as a few other states. They’ve been working on the effort for about a year.
He doesn’t expect many athletes to take advantage of the NIL opportunities if enacted, at least initially, seeing it as an avenue most likely limited to only the state’s top athletes.
Luke Talich, a former Cody sports standout who’s now playing football at Notre Dame, said he would’ve likely taken advantage of NIL opportunities when he was in high school and would’ve loved the opportunity.
“My parents know just about every single business owner in the town and most in the state so I probably would have been able to have access to a lot of companies,” he said.
What’s Next?
The Activities Association’s board of directors will consider a first reading of the new rules at its meeting next Tuesday. If approved, the rules will move on to a second reading at their next meeting Sept. 30. If approved then, the rules would go into effect immediately.
The new rules have already been approved at a local district level throughout Wyoming and Wilson believes a large majority of athletic directors support them.
“It’s been supported by our schools so far,” Wilson said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
