Readers weigh in on the WIAA proposal that would let Wisconsin high school athletes get NIL money

With the recent news that the WIAA will consider a proposal to allow student athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness at its regular meeting next week, we asked readers to provide their thoughts on the proposal.

We asked readers, "Should high school athletes be allowed to profit off of their name, image and likeness? Why or why not?"

Here's a selection of their responses:

"I'm torn. On one hand, it would help athletes deal with expenses for participating in club athletics, as well as banking the money for college tuition. It might allow the student athlete to get the much needed money their family may not have/need. On the other hand, it would place yet another responsibility on the student athlete. They already have to make sure their grades are top-notch, that they have enough service activities/volunteer hours to ensure they catch the eye of the school they want to go to as well as trying to just plain be a kid. Our kids are already growing up too fast. When are we going to give them the proper tools to manage all of those responsibilities as well as how to 'market' themselves for NIL? We preach to our kids to watch what you put on the internet because it will always be there. Now we want to give them the opportunity to profit from their NIL? Student athletes participate in the same sport all year in order to get the best shot at a college scholarship. Now you want to give them another thing they 'have' to do in order to get ahead?" — Linda Dahl

"Normally I don't agree a whole lot with the WIAA, but I can see this happening and let's face it, it makes sense with the Supreme Court already acting on it for collegiate athletes. You knew sooner or later it would trickle down to high school athletes. The tight restrictions the WIAA will have on this policy is good. But there is one byproduct at the high school level that probably hasn't been thought of. And this is sometimes good athletes come from homes that they need those individuals to work instead of being out for a sport. This could potentially get some of those kids an opportunity to do both now which is a good thing, playing sports and not having to get a job but possibly earning some money from NIL to help out family situations." — Tom Rizzo

"NO!! Do NOT get me going on the Transfer Portal and NIL......It's crazy enough at the college level and now in HIGH SCHOOLS---CRAZY!! College athletes, especially at the D1 level, are no longer Student/Athletes but Athlete/Students!! I get that universities profit big time from their athletes and that the athletes feel they should be compensated for what/how they contribute to the schools revenue and it's now 'Is What It Is', however, at High Schools??!! Let the HS's be STUDENTS FIRST and 'Kids be Kids'.....Amen!!" — Jim Wegner

"No, any time money becomes involved in amateur sports there will be unintended problems." — Brian Palmer

"No. Money corrupts sports. We don’t need that at the high school level. Also, it is not fair that some high school athletes should be paid while their teammates are not." — Mike Smith

"Absolutely not. We have opened a can of worms already doing this at the collegiate level. A student athlete at the high school level has enough on their plate attempting to get that scholarship to play where they want. Usually these student-athletes have plenty of activities that they are involved with beside their chosen sport(s). If this comes to fruition what's next middle school NIL ? This is ridiculous!" — Art Ross

"There is a time and a place for everything. But, high school is not the place for NIL. High school should be, first and foremost, a place for learning and development of the student. That is the primary reason for high schools existing. Furthermore, unlike college athletics, high schools are not making ridiculous profits from athletes. We have already seen what the NIL has done to college athletics in, essentially, allowing recruitment swayed by potential NIL earnings. Allowing same at the high school level would be insane." — Steve Schmidt

"It would be the downfall of high school sports in Wisconsin. The athletes would use open enrollment to gravitate toward the money schools. The emphasis on teamwork would take a back seat to “Me”. NIL is already ruining the NCAA. Why would the WIAA want to follow suit. FYI, I am a former WIAA head coach. This premise is preposterous." — Patrick Brandner

"Absolutely not! Sports at the high school level are "extra-curricular", not the primary purpose of going to school. Allowing NIL will only serve to destroy the integrity of the sports and further turn high school sports into a greedy business rather than an opportunity to develop new skills, learn to be an unselfish and committed teammate and just to have fun. WIAA, please don't sell out all those student athletes by putting a price on their heads." — Steve Hermes

Unfortunately youth sports is not about having fun, being part of a team, and representing your organization with pride anymore. Sadly, everything is based off who has the most points, goals, wins and scholarship offers. This NIL idea will just add to the entitlement, selfishness and arrogance that are displayed by so many youth athletes these days. And lets not forget about the parents who support and encourage "Me First" behavior when it comes to their kids. And the increase in abuse of referees will only increase if there is money on the line for these kids to perform. I've been a huge sports fan for many many years, and the state of sports these days from the high school level to the pros has become so ridiculous, it is becoming increasingly hard to stay interested. How about if athletes just have to wait a few years before they can be rewarded financially for their talents, or just play their sport for the love of the game, instead of for financial gain." — John Jenson

"No. It made sense for college athletes to benefit from NIL deals because their universities were generating 10's of millions of dollars off of their performance. No such problem exists in high school sports. This is going to create an underground recruitment campaign that will benefit the larger schools at the expense of the smaller ones and additionally create a competitive imbalance." — Jason Fritz

"Not in favor of it for several reasons. High School athletes are students first (“student-athletes”), and incentivizing sports success over student success would be a mistake. Also, there would be more incentives for students and parents to shop schools — to consider transferring to schools where there is a better “market” for “NIL”. Need to consider the other negative unintended consequences and implications of financial incentives for high school competition." — Tim Schwan

"I am sitting here trying to think of various ways some over zealous high school sports fans could use NIL to assist their "chosen" high school. As a retired teacher, high school sports coach, and 42 year registered WIAA official, NO! Keep monetary inducements out of high school athletics. High school "Pay for Play!" Are they nuts?" — Ron Auer

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Readers weigh in on the WIAA's NIL proposal