HB 1298 unanimously passed the General Assembly this session. The entire bill is this- “No high school student-athlete who participants in an athletic competition shall enter into any contract to receive compensation in relation to such student’s athletic participation in exchange for the use of such student’s name, image, or likeness.” But why? Governor Youngkin vetoed this bill and he was right to do so.
Why not let the kid make some money if he or she can? There are safeguards already in-place for minors to enter into contracts, such as parental authorization, and the Free Market isn’t exactly beating down the doors of 16 year olds to hawk their products.
The governor’s veto statement said,
“The claim that this bill is necessary to protect minors from predatory contracts ignores that minors in Virginia are generally prohibited from entering into contracts without parental consent. Virginia High School League policy also restricts paid endorsement deals.
Further, this bill is a premature prohibition that fails to recognize the continually evolving marketplace for content creation and monetization and could have the unintended consequence of limiting young people from engaging in economic activity via social media unrelated to their athletic performance.”
That sounds right. There was no need for this bill. We have so many laws already.
