The Ashland Fieldhouse recently showcased a youth tournament where hundreds of athletes balled and two times more were there to cheer them on. Some teams had sponsors. All were subsidized in some way, of course, to make the trek from as far away as Thunder Bay. Which brings me to high school sports, real money being moved around, and players who have yet to don their caps and gowns from, say, Ashland or Drummond High Schools, profiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) while competing at the high school level.
It’s a real thing, high school players getting paid to compete. Over 30 states have already approved legislation to permit pre-collegiate NIL, and about 500 members of Wisconsin’s own WIAA were given an opportunity to vote yea or nay for NIL on April 24.
I don’t know the outcome yet ... but up or down it is inevitable that NIL will eventually (and soon!) be coming to a school near you. Up here, those schools may be in the Twin Ports, Stevens Point, Eau Claire, or Wausau. But not necessarily. Ten years ago, our own Bay Area icon Megan Gustafson might have made NIL bank when she was blowing up at South Shore and almost every devoted hoops fan in Wisconsin was watching. With generational ties to the area and to the Cardinals, I suspect her decision would have been to play on for the ‘Cards anyway. But for some athletes and families — particularly those with very limited resources — the jump to a high school (Near or far — just follow the money!) offering pay for play will be impossible to reject. Who might these big bucks Wisconsin school districts be?
The same schools, every time. Those who have been storming state tournaments for almost three decades with stacked rosters assembled via regional recruitment — a widely known competitive advantage said schools have hilariously protested (forever, and ever; or at least until their trophy cases got too full ....) does not exist.
Oh, it exists, all right. And now? With NIL? This advantage will be pumped up even more (Which is actually just fine. The WIAA has it figured out for us — pretty much all good here. No kidding!).
Look ... I support paying whomever, whatever, wherever — so I accept that in 2024 and beyond this may include stacking bills for high school athletes. Full disclosure? I think I’ll enjoy watching the same schools every time get into bidding wars as they double down efforts to get bling for ballers. Harvesting talent will be easier than ever for them; with only one question to answer: “How much money will it take to get this kid to play for us?”
Paul Barnes is a freelance writer who contributes to the Ashland Daily Press sports section.
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