The MHSAA representative council announced Tuesday afternoon in a press release that effective immediately, MHSAA student-athletes are allowed to pursue and benefit from personal branding activities - commonly known as name, image and likeness (NIL) activities.
The MHSAA had previously allowed some such opportunities, including student-athletes’ conducting camps, clinics and private lessons. The expanded policy allows student-athletes to capitalize on more of these opportunities, with some limitations.
The MHSAA release said that the topic of NIL opportunities has consistently been addressed over the last three years as it has become more and more common at the collegiate level. Though it did not ultimately come up for a vote, the Michigan legislature proposed amending state law to allow for student-athletes’ use of NIL in 2023, which the MHSAA supported.
According to Opendorse, a marketplace that helps athletes arrange NIL deals, nearly every state in the U.S. allowed some form of NIL benefits for high school athletes as of last November, with only Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii not allowing it after the MHSAA’s announcement.
“We have said from the start of this conversation that the MHSAA could be comfortable with a policy that provides individual branding opportunities for individual student-athletes, and this rule change provides those while excluding the possibility of collectives, and boosters and school people getting involved in those activities,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said in the release. “This is the essence of what NIL was supposed to allow in the first place, and we’re confident we’ve crafted language that allows true NIL opportunities without affecting competitive equity among our member schools.”
Additional activities allowed by the new policy include social media endorsements and promotions, personal appearances, photo sessions or autograph signings; modeling, advertising, merchandise, sports cards or apparel sales; and the use of a student’s name, image or likeness in marketing materials.
There remain some limitations in place. Schools and coaches are not permitted to be directly involved in any way in a student-athlete’s NIL activities, and school logos, mascots or trademarks may not be used. Student-athletes also cannot promote gambling, alcohol or banned substances.
“The MHSAA will guard the competitive equity we have promoted for more than 100 years, and take with the utmost seriousness any attempts to break or blur this rule,” Uyl said in the release. “We have provided clear language and sufficient guidance on what is allowed to assist our schools as they navigate this ever-changing landscape.”
All such activities must be disclosed to the MHSAA within seven days of an opportunity or contract for disclosure and approval. Schools may choose to have stricter rules regarding these NIL activities if desired.
For more details on what is and what is not allowed, and frequently asked questions about MHSAA regulations, visit the MHSAA Name, Image, Likeness page at https://www.mhsaa.com/name-ima....
