As high school athletics grow and become more like college, many student athletes pose the same question: Why are they not getting paid NIL money?

“I believe NIL should be legal in high school sports. I think it would help smaller schools who have good fundings but weak sport programs to finally be able to compete with the large powerhouses. Many think the large schools will only get better, which is mostly true, but most do not realize a lot of small schools still have good fundings. Also, sponsors would definitely be willing to pay athletes,” junior Braden Reynolds said.

Senior Landon Barlow is in the minority and said NIL should not come to high school sports and would harm small schools.

“I think that NIL would hurt schools like us who have a smaller population and lower level athletics. There is no denying big schools like Center Grove or Carmel would attract all the athletes, running the smaller schools dry of their athletes. 5A and 6A would be the only level of competition; 4A and under would be run out of the room,” Barlow said.

NIL could be beneficial with limits, regulations, and fairness throughout high school athletics.

“I think it would be super helpful to student athletes. It would allow them to focus on their sport and not have to worry about getting a part-time job. They would be able to become an overall better athlete because of the amount of time and the extra money they would have to train. However, there might end up being situations like Johnny Manziel where they get out of control and let the money get to their head. Since we are still young and developing, it could end very bad. So, if NIL did ever come to high school sports, it should definitely be regulated,” Barlow said.

Coach Keith Witty does not like the idea of NIL coming to high school and believes, even in moderation, it will only cause more harm than good.

“I guess it does kind of depend on how it would be regulated. Would it be 50-50 for everyone involved, and how would all of that go about? But with that, I do not think it should be legal anyway. A college can use your image a lot better than a high school could. We are just a sport you come and watch casually. So, overall, I am really just not a big fan of it,” Coach Witty said.

Mr. Mike Campbell, athletic director, said NIL should stick strictly to college.

“I think people get caught up in big NIL deals that you see in major colleges. You will see the quarterback or runningback getting paid $5, $6, even $7 million. But you definitely will not have that in high school, which is what some people think. You might have some high school athletes who make good money; but overall, no one is going to be making that much. Overall, coming from an older generation, I do not like NIL even in college,” Mr. Campbell said.

But, Mr. Campbell also said paid high school athletes might be inevitable as it becomes a more and more popular topic in college sports.

“There are already so many states now that are implementing some kind or variation of NIL into their athletics. It is a matter of time until they bring it to Indiana as well. I think it will help some schools in more fluent areas to pool more kids in and get bigger and bring in buckets of money. But, the kids will not be making a ton. To give an example, Max Clark, the baseball player from Franklin, would have probably made a lot more than most kids, but even he would not have made as much as many think,” Mr. Campbell said.