‘It’s here much faster than we thought:’ How NIL forced a reckoning in high school sports

Former TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress wasn’t prepared for how quickly the name, image and likeness craze reached high school sports. Barely a year after the state of Tennessee passed a law allowing NIL monetization at the college level, the state’s high school sports association is considering addressing the issue as early as December.

“It’s here and it’s here much faster than we thought,” said Childress, who retired July 1.

When the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Alston last June that the collegiate sports organization’s policy was a violation of antitrust law, the NCAA allowed athletes at member institutions to monetize their name, image and likeness. While NIL use for college athletes had bipartisan support nationwide, allowing it at the high school level is more controversial.