- Brands like Nike, Adidas, and Red Bull are partnering with high school athletes for advertising deals. The Gen Z students can make up to $2,000 per social-media post—and companies hope their dedicated followings will rake in big numbers.
It was once a rite of passage for teenagers to make money by sweeping the floors of restaurants, or restocking the clothing racks at retail stores. The hustle looks different now.
A litany of popular athletic brands, energy drink companies, and lifestyle businesses are signing high school athletes to endorsement deals. Some of these businesses—including Adidas, Nike, and Red Bull—are known for partnering with the greats, like Shaun White, Michael Jordan, and Lionel Messi. But they’re now setting their sights a bit earlier, hoping to cash in on young athletes and their dedicated social-media followings.
These sponsorships are restricted in some states, but most have embraced the idea; 40 U.S. State high school associations currently allow their students to sign name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. Some states that don’t allow the endorsements include Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and even Texas, which is known as a star athlete breeding ground.
The reasoning behind barring the marketing deals usually revolves around a lack of school preparedness, the woes of early stardom, or the teenagers losing amateur athlete status having “capitalized on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of a monetary nature.” But more states have joined in permitting young players to reap the fruits of their labor.
The brand deals pay well compared to typical minimum-wage jobs teens work; they could earn between $500 and $2,000 off a single social media post, Braly Keller, the director of NIL and business insights at Opendorse, told The Wall Street Journal. It may not be the eight-figure payouts pro athletes rake in, but it’s good money for a high schooler.
What companies hope to tap into with these deals is a niche, hyper-fixated fan following. These Gen Z athletes are all on social media, followed by tens of thousands of people with parasocial relationships to the young stars. It’s easier to connect with and relate to a high schooler compared to big stars like LeBron James or Serena Williams pushing products on consumers decades their junior. This online relationship means big dollar signs for companies—fans of the student athletes aspire to live, look, and succeed like them. Buying the products they’re endorsing is just one way for them to get closer to that dream.
Meet the next cohort representing Nike, Adidas, and Red Bull
From niche Instagram stars to kids of sports legends, brands are cashing in on the young up-and-coming athletes.
Adidas recently recruited 17-year-old baseball shortstop Ethan Holiday, who is still attending Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. The $46 billion sportswear company seized the moment, as Holiday is projected to be the number one draft pick in this year’s Major League Baseball lineup. He has become one of the latest to sign a major NIL sponsorship deal.
Last November, high school women’s basketball heavyweight Kaleena Smith also accepted an endorsement with Nike. Smith, expected to graduate in 2027, was the first woman hooper in high school to snatch the NIL deal. And with nearly 100,000 Instagram followers, her fanbase and career is just getting started.
Red Bull and Nike also partnered with high school basketball star AJ Dybantsa last year. It’s estimated that the Brigham Young University recruit is earning close to $7 million in NIL wages, including a base pay of $5 million. During an interview on Swish Culture’s “The Youngins Podcast,” Dybantsa said the “offer was second-to-none…I’m smart with it, my parents are smart with it. We don’t want to take every deal.”
Bella Hines, a basketball player who committed to Louisiana State University, also signed a multi-year deal with Nike’s Jordan brand last year. She credits landing the endorsement to growing her Instagram to nearly 25,000 followers—and killing it on the court.
The NIL marketing strategy also recognizes the power of nepotism: Kiyan Anthony, the son of NBA star Carmelo Anthony, signed his first NIL deal with athletic underwear brand PSD in 2023, when he was only 16 years old.
The new teen side hustle: advertising via influencing
NIL deals reflect a growing side hustle among teenagers—being a creator with brand or product sponsorships, where they can rake in money from the comfort of their homes.
Being an influencer has become the dream job for many young Americans: 57% of Gen Z want that career, according to a 2023 study from Marketing Consult. Everyone has a phone in their pocket, which is a one-stop-shop for recording video, editing content, and posting it online. Advertisements can be made anywhere, and influencers have more career freedom to be their own bosses—if they can land lucrative sponsorships.
Companies recognize this, and are cashing in on the new reality of social-media consumption. The average Gen Zer spends about 6.6 hours per day on social media, and is the most likely generation to say they watch 15 hours of content or more daily, according to a 2024 study from Talker Research. While aimlessly scrolling TikTok and Instagram, users stumble across advertisements left and right. And if their favorite high-school athlete or influencer is raving about a product, they may be more susceptible to the draw of purchasing it.
As more states rethink their NIL restrictions and Gen Z’s media consumption persists, companies like Adidas, Nike, and Red Bull will continue to pull in young athletes as brand ambassadors. It could prove to be a smart marketing strategy, as teenagers can be the down-to-earth endorsers.
