Texas is in the Minority: Georgia Allows High School Athletes to Use NIL for Compensation

Three major state governing bodies--governing bodies in Georgia, Florida, and Texas--held out and did not allow high school athletes to profit from the use of their names, images, and likenesses (i.e., NIL). On October 2, 2023, the Georgia High School Association (i.e., GHSA), the major governing body for sports in Georgia, voted to allow Georgia High School athletes the opportunity to use their NIL for compensation.

Georgia joins 33 other states (and D.C.) that allow High School athletes to use their NIL for compensation. In addition to Georgia, the following states (and D.C.) allow High School athletes to profit from their NIL: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Florida and Texas remain two major holdouts. In addition to Florida and Texas, the following states prohibit High School athletes from profiting from the use of their NIL: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

If you have any questions contact Christian Dennie at cdennie@denniefirm.com.