Decision allows Iowa high school athletes to receive NIL benefits

BOONE — Iowa became the 16th state in the country to allow its high school athletes to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) last week when the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control released guidelines for which a student may earn compensation.

Under the newly-released guidelines, students may earn compensation for their NIL so long as they:

• Do not use their school or Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) or Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) names or logos;

• Do not wear apparel or equipment including school or IHSAA/IGHSAU names or logos;

• Do not reference the school name or mascot or the IHSAA/IGHSAU;

• Do not use school facilities for the purpose of NIL activities.

In addition, students are prohibited from promoting activities or products associated with gaming or gambling, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis or related products, adult entertainment products or services or weapons (including firearms).

Students may earn compensation only if the compensation is not based on athletic performance or activities, is not provided as a way to encourage them to attend a particular school and is not provided by a school or an agent of the school, including booster clubs and foundations.

Students and their families are also advised to contact collegiate sanctioning organizations to ensure that NIL activities do not jeopardize their collegiate eligibility.

The Board of Control ruling is in line with guidance from the National Federation of High School Associations, which stated in a June 8 article that it and its member associations (including the IHSAA) believe that high school student-athletes should not be able to benefit as professionals from their high school uniforms.

Among the 15 other states allowing high school students to benefit from NIL, two, Minnesota and Nebraska, border Iowa. NIL allowance is under consideration in South Dakota while Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri prohibit high school students from accepting Name, Image, Likeness benefits. It is unknown if Iowa student-athletes receiving NIL benefits would be permitted to compete with their teams in states that prohibit such benefits.