HOUSTON – NIL, or name, image, and likeness, has changed the game, allowing college athletes to profit from their fame.
Texas legislators are now considering giving that same right to high school athletes.
As KPRC 2 anchor Keith Garvin found, the measure would lead to some big money for some students and big change for the entire state.
NIL opportunities could reshape high school athletics
Halle Thompson, a 17-year-old nationally ranked volleyball player, has dedicated herself to the sport year-round.
“Volleyball is definitely a year-round thing,” she said.
Thompson has excelled, medaling with Team USA’s under-19 team and being selected for the under-21 team this summer. She has aspirations of making the U.S. Olympic squad in 2028.
“It is 100% a goal of mine that I can foresee being attainable because of the pipeline and the opportunities that I’ve earned,” Thompson said. “It definitely takes a lot of time, work, and energy. I can say I’ve earned these things, but I definitely think if I keep on putting in work, energy, and time into this, I definitely could be part of something big like that.”
As Thompson pursues her goals, significant changes are on the horizon for high school sports in Texas.
Two bills are currently making their way through the state legislature that would allow high school athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), similar to recent changes at the college level.
SEE ALSO: How these 2 Texas bills could change the game for high school athletes
Matt Malatesta of VYPE Media, a Houston-based company covering youth sports, discussed the situation.
“A lot of people are going to wonder: As big as high school sports are in Texas—everything’s bigger in Texas, right?—How in the world has Texas not had NIL when so many states across the country have had it for a while?” Malatesta said. “Well, the UIL is such a huge, powerful entity in the state of Texas and throughout the country. There are so many things that go into it. They want to do it right the first time.”
The stakes are high, particularly when it comes to finances.
“If legislators grind out a measure that lets high school athletes’ profit from their talent and hard work, how much money are we talking?” Malatesta asked.
Dusty Stanfield, a marketing agent who has secured deals for professional and high school athletes in other states, provided insight into the potential earnings.
“Personally, I’ve done deals, six to seven figures for high school athletes already,” Stanfield said.
“Wow. Okay. So, it can be profitable for athletes and their families, I take it?” Malatesta replied.
“It can be very profitable,” Stanfield confirmed.
But are Texas high school athletes and their families ready for six- and seven-figure deals?
Cullen Thompson, a football recruit and Halle’s twin brother, has already received offers from several schools, including Baylor and Pitt. With their older sister Fallon already playing college volleyball, the siblings’ parents are preparing their children to navigate the NIL landscape.
“If it happens here, we absolutely welcome that opportunity, but I think that it’s another layer as a parent that you kind of have to help your kids through, and that’s important to know,” said Libra Thompson, their mother.
Having a good social media following could help
Halle Thompson believes that having NIL opportunities in high school would better prepare athletes for college.
“[I was] so much more prepared,” she said. “I definitely think that, especially Wisconsin being such a big volleyball school.”
Even at the high school level, Halle Thompson has made a name for herself in volleyball.
“This is a star. You and I can tell this kid has the ‘it’ factor,” Malatesta said.
Thompson has already built a significant platform on social media, which is increasingly important for today’s athletes.
“Some people say that in golf, Tiger Woods was the needle. He didn’t move the needle; he was the needle. Girls’ sports are the needle,” Malatesta said.
He noted that female athletes at the high school level are building massive platforms that often surpass those of their male counterparts.
“If you look at the platforms that female athletes are building at the high school level, which we see all the time, they’re massive. And they far outweigh what the guys are doing,” Malatesta said.
The impact of NIL on high school competition and team chemistry remains to be seen.
Malatesta expressed concerns about how fans might react to these changes.
“I think fans are going to be disenfranchised a little bit because they’re seeing kids that are potentially making more money than they are playing high school sports. And you’re like, ‘What the heck? How can that be?’ But that is the world we’re living in right now,” he said.
“It’s going to be a culture change basically?” Keith asked.
“Total culture change,” Malatesta replied.
