NIL Deals Could Be Headed To North Carolina High School Athletics

Name, Image, and Likeness deals, or NIL for short may soon be making its way into North Carolina High School Athletics. You may be familiar with NIL due to its relatively recent introduction into college athletics. NIL has received mixed reviews for good reason. And let me first preface this by saying I absolutely believe college athletes should be able to profit off of their brand. I believe they should be able to take part in engagements where they sign autographs. I am in favor of them being able to sell merchandise and the school's jerseys with the players' names on them that the players financially benefit from. And I think they should be able to do social media deals the same way influencers, many of whom are also in college, do. I even support more widespread marketing campaigns for example with major companies like Nike or Gatorade.

But there needs to be limits on it. How that gets reigned in at the point, I don't know. But schools being able to essentially buy players on alumni and donors dimes only increases the disparity in college athletics. The NFL has a salary cap, colleges should have to abide by regulations as well. All of this to say, that if we are going to introduce this into high school athletics, shouldn't we clean up the glaring issues first? QC News is reporting that board members of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will be discussing the proposal this week. Discussions will take place today, Tuesday, and Wednesday at the Association in Chapel Hill.

You can read the full proposed policy here. Highlights include that athletes would be able to profit from their autographs, promotional activities, as well brands that they personally own. The student-athletes would be prohibited from profiting off of gambling sites, tobacco products, alcohol, or adult entertainment. They would also need parental approval before participating in NIL. Do I think the same issues created by NIL (simultaneously with the transfer portal but that's another rant) in college will trickle down to college? It's unlikely. And if it does it won't be near as widespread. While high schools recruit to a degree, it's not in the same way college coaches do. The availability of funds is also limited and the interests of donors are a fraction of the NCAA.

These are also high school kids. If they are good enough to get endorsement deals in high school, they can in college. High schools aren't profiting off these kids the way universities do. High School athletics while a stepping stone to college athletics, are more about the experience. Sure if they want to do social media endorsements or sponsored posts like other students potentially can- let them. But full-blown NIL? I'm not in favor. Many of you may disagree, which is your right. It will be interesting to see where these discussions lead this week. Do you think NIL will be approved for North Carolina high school athletics? Should it be?

Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It's a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. And when your child is an athlete, regardless of it they are looking to play in college, that makes the decision that much harder. If your child has the potential to be a college athlete and potentially get a scholarship, you want to make sure they are in the best place possible to develop their skills and get noticed. Even if they are in it for fun, you still want them to have good coaches, and facilities and winning is nice too! How do you know the best High Schools for athletes in the state of North Carolina? Of course, you can look at the success of a specific team or program. State championships and players signed to college programs are certainly a reflection.

But we want to help you narrow it down. And Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of those is a listing of the best high schools in for athletes in North Carolina. Which schools topped the list? Let's find out.

For this list, we are including public, private, and charter schools. And the overwhelming majority are actually public schools! Though the top 2 are private with one being in Charlotte. But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:

If you're looking for the best school to send your athlete to hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best schools in North Carolina for athletes.

District: Guilford County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Greensboro, NC

Division: 4A (All-Metro)

Total Number of Sports: 17

District: Onslow County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Jacksonville, NC

Division: 3A (Big Carolina)

Total Number of Sports: 22

District: Wilkes County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Wilkesboro, NC

Division: 2A (Foothills)

Total Number of Sports: 19

District: Guilford County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Greensboro, NC

Division: 4A (Metro)

Total Number of Sports: 24

District: Guilford County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Greensboro, NC

Division: 4A (Metro)

Total Number of Sports: 23

District: Forsyth County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Division: 4A (Central Piedmont)

Total Number of Sports: 12

District: Caldwell County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Lenoir

Division: 3A (Northwestern)

Total Number of Sports: 11

District: Forsyth County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Winston-Salem

Division: 4A (Central Piedmont)

Total Number of Sports: 14

District: Davidson County School

Type: Public

Location: Lexington

Division: 3A (Mid Piedmont)

Total Number of Sports: 9

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Type: Public

Location: Charlotte

Division: 4A (So. Meck)

Total Number of Sports: 11

District: Asheville City Schools

Type: Public

Location: Asheville

Division: 4A (The Mountain)

Total Number of Sports: 22

District: N/A

Type: Public Charter School

Location: Lincolnton

Division: 2A (Catawba Shores)

Total Number of Sports: 21

District: Guilford County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Greensboro

Division: 4A (Metro)

Total Number of Sports: 23

District: Wake County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Raleigh

Division: 4A (Cap 6)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Gaston County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Belmont

Division: 3A (Big South)

Total Number of Sports: 20

District: Union County Public Schools

Type: Public

Location: Waxhaw

Division: 4A (Southern California)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Buncombe County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Asheville

Division: 4A (The Mountain)

Total Number of Sports: 21

District: Mount Airy City Schools

Type: Public

Location: Mount Airy

Division: 1A (Northwest)

Total Number of Sports: 20

District: Wake County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Apex

Division: 4A (Southwest Wake)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Wake County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Cary

Division: 4A (Southwest Wake)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Union County Public Schools

Type: Public

Location: Waxhaw

Division: 4A (Southern Carolina)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Wake County Schools

Type: Public

Location: Wake Forest

Division: 4A (Northern Athletic)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: Union County Public Schools

Type: Public

Location: Weddington

Division: 4A (Southern Carolina)

Total Number of Sports: 25

District: N/A

Type: Private

Location: Charlotte

Division: 4A (Southwestern)

Total Number of Sports: 20

District: N/A

Type: Private

Location: Raleigh

Division: 4A (Cap 6)

Total Number of Sports: 29