Selling Their Names

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How might being paid for playing sports affect high school students?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• lucrative (p. 9)
• compensate (p. 9)
• predatory (p. 9)
• proponents (p. 9)
• exploitative (p. 10)
• commission (p. 11)

3. Engage
Ask students to share what they know about name, image, and likeness (N.I.L.) deals. Ask: What do you think the pros and cons are of these deals for young athletes? After students read the article, have them revisit the conversation, offering any new insights they have.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Selling Their Names, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What ideas are conveyed through Kaden Coleman-Bennett’s story? Explain using details from the text. (Central ideas, text structure) (The article states that Kaden was offered money to play football as early as age 10, which shows how money can affect athletes even at the earliest levels. In eighth grade, he was also offered N.I.L. deals, and he hopes to make a million dollars during his freshman year of high school. This detail shows the growing popularity of these deals with younger athletes and how lucrative they can be. The detail at the end of the article, describing how strangers make a fuss over Kaden, shows how the celebrity that comes along with N.I.L. deals can affect a teen’s life.)

• What are some concerns that critics have raised about offering N.I.L deals to high school students? How have the rules evolved to address some of these concerns? (Problem & solution, cause & effect) (Some critics have raised concerns that the rules around N.I.L. deals often leave it to the students and their families to negotiate contracts, and mistakes could lead to predatory deals or a student’s losing eligibility. Critics also worry that better deals could lead high school students to transfer to other schools, which defeats some of the benefits of playing high school sports. Rules have evolved to prohibit student athletes from signing professional contracts, from taking payment for winning or losing, and from accepting payment for switching high schools.)

• Think about the roles of the people who are cited as critics or supporters of N.I.L. deals. How might their jobs or backgrounds influence their opinions? (Evaluating sources, analyzing perspectives) (The critics of N.I.L. deals include a professor of sports business, school administrators, and the head of the National Federation of State High School Associations. These people may be critics because their roles require them to examine and, in some cases, protect students and sports from predatory behavior. Proponents include the athletes themselves, their families, and brand representatives. They may be in favor of N.I.L. deals because they or their company could benefit financially from them.)

• What is the purpose of the section “Staying Focused”? How does this section expand upon the ideas introduced in other sections? (Author’s purpose, text structure) (The purpose of the last section is to discuss how the money and attention that come, or could come, through N.I.L. deals have affected two athletes emotionally and socially. One student has gotten a nickname, “N.I.L.-lee,” while another is given a lot of attention from students he doesn’t know. Both students now dream of making more money. This section relates to the previous sections because it looks at some of the more personal impacts of N.I.L. deals.) 

• In the last section, Chris Harris includes N.I.L. deals in the same category as scholarships. How are they similar? How are they different? (Compare & contrast)(Students’ answers may vary, but some may note that both N.I.L. deals and scholarships provide financial compensation to athletes because their talent can benefit a brand or school. However, some may also note that scholarships provide educational opportunities that athletes can use for other careers, while N.I.L. deals only pay off if the athlete continues to play (and succeed). Some students may also note that the money from a lucrative N.I.L. deal can secure an athlete’s financial future more immediately than a scholarship and may not require that the athlete attend college.) 

6. Writing Prompt
If you were offered an N.I.L. deal, what might you have to consider when deciding whether to accept? How could you make sure you were not being taken advantage of? Explain.

7. Video
Watch the video about teen athlete Ella Hagan. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Are N.I.L. deals positive or negative for young athletes?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Graphs and Analyze the Cartoon skills sheets to practice data and visual analysis.