The landscape of amateur athletics has seen a drastic change in recent years, and Oregon high school sports are joining the new world order of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
The Oregon School Activities Association approved changes that include the ability for Oregon high school athletes to earn money off of their name, image or likeness, without sacrificing their amateur status and eligibility.
Oregon joins 20 states that have opened or are working towards a policy to allow high school athletes to earn money from NIL deals, while more states discuss possible changes. 13 states currently have rules on the books for high school NILs, and another seven have the change being taken under membership consideration.
There are stipulations that come along with the OSAA policy change. Students can not use any sort of school branding, and must disclose any agreement, and deals can not come from anyone connected to an OSAA-affiliated high school.
The rule change was first approved in September by the OSAA executive board prior to Monday’s approval by the delegate assembly.