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- Sports Court #81 | Georgia on My Mind
Sports Court #81 | Georgia on My Mind
The fastest 3 minutes in name, image and likeness
Tariq Ahmad
October 02, 2023
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Today’s Case
Georgia High School Association expected to approve NIL in Georgia today
Georgia High School Association logo (Photo Credit: ghsa.net)
High school student-athletes in The Peach State will soon be able to maximize their name, image and likeness.
According to a report in the Atlanta Constitution Journal (AJC) Friday morning, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), which governs interscholastic sports in the state of Georgia, is expected to approve a bylaw which will allow high school athletes to profit from NIL deals.
If the bylaw is approved, Georgia will become the 30th state, in addition to Washington D.C., to allow high school athletes to financially benefit from NIL partnerships.
Similar to many of the other states that have approved NIL deals, the GHSA will impose some restrictions. Athletes will not be allowed to link their NIL deals to specific achievements or performances and they will not be allowed to use their school's name, logos, uniforms or any other intellectual property.
Colleague Dan Greene shared a screenshot on X (formerly Twitter) of the proposed GHSA NIL guidelines.
The Verdict
It was inevitable for Georgia to approve this bylaw
With more states approving NIL at the high school level (and Georgia initially discussing this during their January 11 board meeting) it was only a matter of time before this came to fruition.
NIL is becoming part of the arms race in college athletics - and it appears to be slowly trickling into high school athletics as well.
Domino effect for neighboring states
With Georgia set to approve NIL for high school athletes, look for nearby states (specifically Florida and Texas) to introduce and pass similar laws soon for their student-athletes.
In rare cases, this will also prevent high school athletes from transferring to schools in states where NIL is permitted.
Big name high school athletes in Georgia can now leverage their NIL
Georgia has numerous highly touted high school athletes that can now maximize their NIL - most notably quarterbacks Julian “JuJu” Lewis (class of 2026 and USC commit), Prentiss “Air” Noland (class of 2024 Ohio State commit) and Dylan Raiola (class of 2024 and Georgia commit).
Leverage athletic abilities for NIL deals
While on field/on court performance are not directly related to NIL, student-athletes should use their talents to boost their brand. Check out this video for more!
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