NIL & Transfer Portal Era: A Ripple Effect for Young Student Athletes

By Matt Amerlan

Director of Workforce Development

The “professionalism” of sports has permeated into our sports ecosystem earlier and earlier into a young athlete’s journey. Youth and High School age sports have become big business (in the U.S. alone $40 million annually - to put it in perspective this has surged well past the NFL’s annual revenue numbers). This is a natural result of the growth of pro sports and it evolving over the years into a financial juggernaut. The growing masses want to be a part of it, this means aspiring youth athletes and their families. This has ultimately shaped an evolving college landscape and how youth and high school age sports have evolved.

We’ve explored some of the unintended consequences of this. Some of these include: pressure to specialize earlier (the 10,000 hour rule), pay for play and how this boxes out many families (according to a recent New York Life article, with the average parent spending $3,000 annually). Others include youth sports organizations competing with each other in order to survive in this competitive industry; needing to build their business and bring in revenue; competing for athletes and families as customers; trying to differentiate themselves from the standpoint of what they promise the young athletes; what they promise their parents; the potential they see; how they can help them reach their potential; and how this investment will end in a “payout” in the form of a scholarship or more.

Further, with this evolution has come the NIL and Transfer Portal Era. Young student athletes

are now able to monetarily tap into this ecosystem and they have more freedom to operate

within it. This progress is a good thing for student athletes. They are the ones that put in the

years of work and dedication to optimize their ability in sport. With this evolution, another factor has evolved. Younger athletes, including high school age athletes aspiring to compete on this stage and claim their piece of this ecosystem are taught to build their “brand” earlier and earlier. They feel a pressure to market themselves and differentiate themselves - but often this is done in a way that can perpetuate a narrower view of themselves and their identity as an athlete. While the ecosystem has evolved in this way, the incongruent reality is that out of the nearly 10 million annual high school age student athletes that compete in a sport, only 5% (plus or minus depending on the source) will continue to compete after high school.

The combination of this math and how our sports ecosystem has evolved (explained above)

means there are millions of kids each year that abruptly exited this sports ecosystem after being 100% committed to it for years - with most exiting not by their own choice. This includes millions of kids that have been told they have the potential to play in college, knowing their parents have shelled out thousands, many have focused on building their “brand” in sport to now having to figure out a different passion and purpose.

Within this context, aren’t we at a “tipping point” where we have an opportunity (or maybe even an obligation) to shape a better view, a better perspective for all stakeholders that make up this ecosystem while still operating within this ecosystem? Let’s face it, this multibillion dollar business of youth and high school sports is not going away. With that, there is an opportunity to lean into this in a different and perhaps healthier way.

What if we encourage the millions of young student athletes to optimize their ability in sport, to reach their full potential as an athlete? But what if we did this in a way that “played both sides of the ball”? Meaning, systematically being more intentional with our young athletes. Helping them “connect the dots” that you should try and reach your optimal ability as an athlete. Why? For one, you owe that to yourself so that you never have the regret of “what could have been” in sport; but two, putting in the work to reach your potential as an athlete will ultimately serve a dual purpose for you. Teaching the student athletes and parents that the skills you develop trying to reach your potential in sport are the same skills that are highly sought after in the workforce. The athlete's journey develops the soft skills/durable skills that are becoming even more valuable in this day and age of technology and AI. The types of technological skills that are in demand, evolving rapidly and ever changing. What is needed now more than ever are elite soft and durable skills that give an individual the foundation to operate effectively in this technological world. Skills that sports teach us day in and day out. Character, resilience, teamwork, adaptability, leadership.

With this in mind, let’s help young student athletes build their “brand” and optimize their ability in sport. But let’s do it in a way that helps young athletes expand their view of their “brand”. For student-athletes sports are a big part of it, but sports also gives them the ability to build a brand and skillset that ultimately transcends their sport and lead them to successful life outcomes as a whole.

Dual Threat Playbook Tip: Let’s help athletes build a holistic “brand” and play “both sides of

the ball”