Indiana high school athletes will soon be able to profit from personal brands under new IHSAA rule
INDIANA -- High school athletes in Michigan have been able to profit from their name, image and likeness since January, after the state became the 46th to allow NIL at the high school level. But across the state line in Indiana, the path will look a little different.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association approved its own version of NIL on May 4. But instead of calling it NIL, Indiana is calling it “personal branding activities,” or PBA.
The rule is designed to give student-athletes a controlled way to benefit from their personal brand while keeping their identity separate from their school’s name, logo and athletic programs.
“It has worked at the high school level and it’s the basic premise that everybody owns their own name and you can’t sell what you don’t own,” IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig said. “When you can live in that environment, then I think people understand why we went down the path we did.”
Neidig said the wording is intentional. The association wants to separate high school personal branding from the college NIL world, where collectives, large financial deals and recruiting battles have changed the landscape.
“We’re not talking about systems that have millions of dollars,” Neidig said. “We’re talking about high school games where people pay maybe six or seven or eight dollars to go to a game, and we need to make sure that the amateur side of our sports stays intact so we can focus on the education first.”
Under the new rules, schools cannot arrange, fund or promote deals for athletes. Student-athletes also cannot use school logos, mascots, uniforms or other school branding as part of personal branding activities.
Saint Joseph High School Athletic Director Stephen Anthony said his first reaction to the new rule was positive. To him, the change is less about athletes cashing in and more about teaching them how to present themselves.
“Oftentimes student-athletes think recruiting is just being discovered,” Anthony said. “I’ve always tried to focus on marketing yourself. It’s about marketing yourself to your potential college, your potential college coach.”
Anthony said the rule creates a chance for athletes to learn more about financial literacy, personal responsibility and the value of their own image.
“For me, it’s an opportunity for students to learn to become more financially literate and an opportunity for student-athletes to create and recognize the value of their brand,” Anthony said.
Personal branding activities could include social media posts, appearances, endorsements, camps, lessons or training. But the IHSAA said the new rule cannot be used as a recruiting tool. Neidig said if the rule starts moving in that direction, the association is prepared to make adjustments to its bylaws, including emergency changes if needed.
“I think some people think, ‘Oh, my child is going to get paid,’” Neidig said. “That is not the attempt behind this whatsoever. The child may be able to get paid, but it needs to look more like an employment activity or sponsorship activity and not just being paid because you’re good at a particular sport.”
If rules are broken, student-athletes could risk their eligibility. If money is used for recruiting, schools and athletes could face sanctions. Still, the IHSAA and local athletic directors say the larger goal is education.
“My message to Saint Joe and the student-athletes of Saint Joe is this is a process to grow,” Anthony said. “It’s an opportunity for students to develop their brand. It’s an opportunity for them to look beyond the classroom, look beyond the athletic field and learn how they can work with others or how they can market themselves and prepare for the future.”
The real test will come when the rules move from paper to practice, as Indiana tries to balance opportunity with eligibility.