Nil’s are taking advantage of hs athletes

Student athletes playing at a high level for profitable programs are basically employees and entertainers for the university who have zero pay and security. It's terrible. These coaches are vampires living off the cte and injuries of free labor.

Well, they don't have to sign.

Most high school runners, even very good ones, do not really merit significant compensation.

If the athlete rejects the first NIL offer, and 'holds out' for more, they may find they are just not worth much.

The current hs NIL programs are more about building a relationship and for the brand to get right of refusal on a future more serious deal.

It's not like the company pays them $100 and then uses their likeness for a $100 million global ad campaign. They pay them $100 and basically do nothing with them.

Who are some of the undervalued runners? How much are they receiving?

They are a bit like hometown heros, they get free gear and that's about it.

It kind of makes sense for both parties... Signing a deal, doing something like that for a HS person seems like it would be good experience. Unless you really are the best in the country being one of the top in a medium to large city probably doesn't really drive a ton of revenue for a brand. Just builds brand equity over the long run.

When I was in school I don't remember what the top other competitors were wearing

A local store provided a handful of track athletes trainers, spikes, racing flats, and apparel. In return the athletes post once a week and tag the store. Before NIL’s this wasn’t allowed, I think it’s a great deal for the students.

This Nil guy sounds like a real jerk and should be brought up on charges for taking advantage of teenagers. I mean, isn’t that what Safe Sport is all about?

Not an expert in contract law, but how enforceable are these contracts if the person is under 18? They are probably more of a mechanism that ensures the athlete gets paid if they comply with the contract. I doubt they can lock someone up for an extended period of time. So if it is just for a year or something then it isn't a big deal even if the athlete is undervalued.

These NIL guys swindling the youths are rank amateurs.

How much are top HS athletes getting paid via NIL?

I saw a top Div I college football team get off the bus and go into a hotel next to my office. Every player had either a Rolex, diamond earrings, $3k bespoke suit or some combination of those.

I have run across NIL deals in junior golf. One of the major club manufacturers hands out NIL deals to very young kids. But if you actually read the contract, your kid cannot accept any other equipment sponsorship for a few years and only gets some discounts on gear. So, if your kid gets nationally ranked in high school and gets the interest of some real NIL deals for real money, they are stuck with the equipment discount deal.

On the other hand, NIL deals in junior golf have been a big equalizer in a game that is dominated by rich country club kids. A few top juniors have used NIL deals to help them get to top tournaments, get high level coaching and afford joining a golf club for better practice facilities. Without the NIL deals, they would not be able to afford any of that.

most shoe brand NIL deals are simply to ensure the best athletes compete at their "national meets"

Quincy Wilson HAS to race at New Balance, cannot race at Nike.

Tate Taylor HAS TO race at Nike, cannot race at New Balance.

We'll pay for your travel to ensure your participation.

This hasn't seeped into XC but we now have 3 Shoe Brands with names attached to their meets... Nike, Brooks, New Balance (at runninglane) but i wouldn't be surprised if it does.

this^

A HS nil deal will consist of $500-$1000 worth of free gear. It will most likely consist of paid travel and expenses for an indoor meet, an outdoor meet, and maybe a summer camp. There might be some ★★★★★ recruit getting actual dollars, but they are few and far between.

All told, you can do the math here, it isn't a lot of money, but there is a value for both the athletes and the sponsors. Pretty much every kid would jump at the chance to be treated special and the brands get more exposure than people are giving them credit for. A few years ago no one would've predicted New Balance would have two sub-4 milers and a sub-45 400 guy.

Is there some shoe company out there that's selling a bunch of shoes because they signed some high schooler? If so, I don't know who that is.

probably 90% of nil deals are these small time deals that are really not much. I can speak second hand to two deals that I know enough about to say.

One is a highschooler who was given shoes, spikes, some other gear by a large brand, in exchange for running at their meets. Doesn't seem like taking advantage of me, what high schooler doesn't want pretty much free gear, shoes, spikes, and all they do is run at a few meets when they're probably going to run at some high level meet anyway, and it doesn't matter that much (imo) between Nike/Brooks/Adidas/NB sponsored meets for a highschooler as long as there's some good competition. On the brand's side, they have decent rapport with the athlete if they do end up

The other is a D1 collegiate athlete (not hs but similar nil situation) who's getting some small deals with local food chains, getting a little bit of merch, free food in the form of gift cards, in exchange for a few social media posts. again, pretty sick in my opinion and again the brand (restaurants) builds some rapport with the athlete but also the community, I know a lot of people just thought it was cool of the business to do that.

So yeah, in my experience the majority of these nil deals aren't very big or anything, and I don't really think it's taking advantage of anyone.

i assume that concerning NIL's under 18, the parents have to sign the contract, hello.

Nike Elite athletes ran at both Brooks PR and Nike Outdoors. Jane being one example.

NIL in HS does far more for the athlete than the company. Sure, the company wants the top guys wearing their gear and running their races. However, on the other end, it provides the athlete with a ton of exposure and lots of free gear regardless of any $ changing hands. Be realistic about the value to the mega-corporation. How many XC runners in HS even know or care who the best in the country are or what shoe they are wearing? How many people outside of HS XC community know or care about HS XC and will buy a company's product based on that? Yes, some, more competitive kids will be moved one way or another on their shoe purchase, but it isn't significant.

However, I do agree, kids in this new environment do need support managing NIL when it is a factor. Not all parents will be helpful in that, but should be the primary lead. So, here's just another responsibility that is falling on coaches to help manage that kids on here are going to complain about