Ohio’s NIL opening: A turning point for high school athletes

For juniors like Mia Hammond, Ohio's NIL ban meant choosing between representation and playing high school golf. A court ruling, and now a vote, has changed that.

by Golf NIL Staff

October 21, 2025 | Updated: November 25, 2025

Ohio high schools have voted to approve NIL deals, 447-121, with 247 schools abstaining. The new bylaw takes effect immediately, making Ohio the 45th state to allow high school NIL and marking a sharp turn from 2022, when schools rejected a similar proposal 538–254.

OHSAA student‑athletes can now be compensated for their name, image and likeness through appearances, licensing, social media, endorsements, and branding. The bylaw adds reporting requirements and guardrails to protect against recruiting violations, including a 14‑day window for athletes to disclose NIL agreements to maintain eligibility.

For golfers like Mia Hammond, who had to choose between representation and high school golf, this vote means future Ohio athletes won’t face that same either‑or.

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[Original story - October 21, 2025]

As of this week, Ohio high school athletes can finally profit from their NIL, at least temporarily.

Franklin County Judge Jaiza Page granted a restraining order blocking the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s NIL ban, putting the state in line with 44 others that already allow such deals.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit by Jasmine Brown on behalf of her son, Jamier Brown, a top‑ranked wide receiver who has committed to Ohio State. The complaint argued that the OHSAA’s blanket ban violated Brown’s First Amendment and equal‑protection rights by denying him economic opportunities open to peers nationwide.

Judge Page’s decision applies to all athletes across Ohio’s 818 member schools and accelerates the OHSAA’s NIL timeline. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for December 15, with an emergency membership vote to follow.

Brown’s legal team said the move corrects an inequity that has cost athletes tens of thousands of dollars in lost opportunities. The Wayne High School junior has already missed out on more than $100,000 in trading‑card and brand income simply because Ohio held to outdated rules.

The OHSAA’s push may appear sudden, but it grew from stories of talented athletes colliding with inflexible policy. Association members rejected a similar proposal in 2022 by nearly 70 percent, and many administrators still worry about commercialization. Yet momentum has clearly shifted.

Hammond's Choice

For golfers, this decision hits particularly close to home.

In January 2024, New Albany High School's Mia Hammond, then 15, made a bittersweet decision. Months earlier, she shattered the Division I state scoring record and made the cut in her LPGA debut at the Dana Open, finishing T26 as the youngest player in the field. With major brands reaching out, she needed professional guidance to navigate the interest and protect her college eligibility.

Mia Hammond at the 2025 Greater Toledo Classic | Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via AP Images

So Hammond signed with Sterling Sports Management for advice on pursuing endorsement opportunities—not because she had already signed deals. Under OHSAA rules, that decision meant she had to walk away from competing for New Albany to protect her professional future.

Two months later, she was named to the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team and has since competed for Team USA in the Wyndham Cup, Junior Solheim Cup, and World Junior Girls Championship. This past July, she won the Greater Toledo Classic as an amateur—her first professional victory and the first Epson Tour win by an amateur in five years.

Hammond’s experience demonstrates exactly what Jasmine and Jamier Brown were up against. In most other states, players in her position could maintain eligibility while exploring NIL opportunities. Ohio athletes have been forced to choose between team loyalty and financial opportunity, limiting their freedom instead of protecting it.

The Bigger Picture

Opening NIL to all high‑school athletes helps families offset the hundreds, sometimes thousands, they spend on travel, training, equipment, and tournament fees each season. The ruling also closes a basic fairness gap. Student‑athletes had been one of the only groups barred from monetizing personal branding, while musicians, performers, and influencers could do so freely.

Most importantly, the change lets athletes gain real‑world experience without having to face an either‑or choice. For players like Hammond, it's about landing partnerships while continuing a run at a state title. For athletes like Brown, it's about taking advantage of NIL value while staying on the field with teammates.

The stakes extend beyond individuals to Ohio's sports culture. Reform means future athletes won't have to make that same choice.

An emergency referendum is on the way, and the association must now create rules that require disclosure, ensure financial literacy education, and prevent recruiting abuse or exploitation. Unlike college sports, where NIL collectives influence rosters, high‑school NIL frameworks impose firm guardrails: athletes earn individually, contracts remain transparent, and schools are typically prohibited from coordinating deals. How Ohio manages these details will decide whether reform benefits all or tilts the playing field toward the privileged.

Uncertainty remains. The restraining order will stay in place until the December hearing, but policy could shift again if momentum stalls or new challenges surface. Whether those changes become permanent rests with school leadership.

For now, Ohio’s high‑school athletes finally have the chance to compete, earn, and stay rooted at home.