Michigan high school athletes probably will soon be able to enter into name, image and likeness agreements.
A bill has already passed the state’s House and is going through the Senate. It passed the House with a 2/3 majority.
A little over half the states in the country already allow NIL for high school athletes. One would think Ohio would soon adopt similar legislation so it wouldn’t risk falling behind other states.
The Michigan path looks like a good model for Ohio to follow. State lawmakers worked with the Michigan High School Athletic Association on crafting the legislation. Under the proposed legislation, the MHSAA would review all NIL contracts involving student athletes.
There are provisions that prevent athletes from entering into contracts for things like gambling, controlled substances and firearms. The MHSAA also wanted to ensure NIL contracts are offered individually on an athlete-by-athlete basis.
“This bill does not allow for NIL possibilities enticing students to attend a certain school or performance-based awards,” MHSAA communication director Geoff Kimmerly told WKAR. “For example, paying a certain amount for every touchdown a student scored or 3-pointers made.”
OHSAA executive director Doug Ute has said he expects NIL to be enacted here sometime. A proposal to allow NIL was voted down by OHSAA member schools in 2022. Hopefully the organization will try again, or hopefully the Ohio legislature will pick up the cause like Michigan lawmakers did.
Davis signs with Toledo
As reported elsewhere in this Saturday’s sports section, Sidney senior Mitchell Davis signed to play baseball with the University of Toledo on Monday at the school’s baseball field.
Before he heads to Toledo, he’s hoping to help the Yellow Jackets have a strong season this spring under first-year coach Ryan Townsend. He said during Monday’s ceremony he is hoping to increase his speed to nearly 95 miles per hour.
Anna/Tri-Village was a fun one
High-scoring football games aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I realize. But I enjoy the fireworks displays.
Last week’s Anna and Tri-Village regional semifinal at Lima Spartan Stadium finished with a basketball-like score of 56-51. While there was over 800 yards of offense and 15 touchdowns, there were a few defensive fireworks as well, with a few long interception returns.
Anna junior running back Zach Osborn and Tri-Village senior RB Reed Wehr each had great games and were big reasons for the high score; they were the two fastest players on the field.
