MIAA Student-Athletes Can Profit of NIL Opportunities

August 29, 2022 / Athletic Administration
High school student-athletes in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) can now profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL) this season.

The MIAA board of directors met on Aug. 17 and passed a rule to allow student-athletes in the commonwealth NIL deals. The new policy was passed with a vote of 13-0-1.

miaaA recent story from the MetroWest Daily News in Massachusetts outlined the details of MIAA student-athletes and NIL policies.

Below is an excerpt from the MetroWest Daily News article.

“It’s on the horizon, it’s here,” said Richard Pearson, associate executive director of the MIAA. “… I think the intent was to create these guardrails, these parameters and clarity so that our high school students do not wade into the deep water of violation with amateurism standards.

“It’s a new landscape for everyone the athletes, the parents, the schools and us,” Pearson said. “… The intent out of the gate was to get ahead of this with the right information and words to navigate this.”

Athletes can earn compensation for NIL deals with commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media presence, product or service advertisements and non-fungible tokens (NFT). The policy also allows athletes from MIAA member schools to be represented by an attorney or sports agency.

A member school may use a student-athlete’s NIL with official team activities. Schools are still allowed to take team photos or promote their players.

Otherwise, no one employed by a member school, including coaches and administrators, may be involved with a student athlete’s use of their NIL except as needed to enforce the new policy.

According to the MIAA handbook, student-athletes must provide their member school copies of any endorsement, employment and representation agreements. A student-athlete’s penalty for NIL violations is a suspension from all interscholastic athletics. The student-athlete would need to apply to the MIAA board for reinstatement of amateur status.

To read the full story from the MetroWest Daily News, click here.