Allow Athletes To Benefit From All Their Achievements

As we all know money is very important in American Football. The amount of money changing hands in US Football simply dwarfs almost everything outside the Champions League. Therefore, many players, even those still in High School become marketable commodities to those who control the US game.

As a result, many High School players rightfully want to market themselves, under the doctrine that if others are making money from a person’s hard work, then the player themselves should be able to exert some level of control over the process. 

Unfortunately, many states within the US do not agree, and they are quite happy for large corporations to make millions off the backs of High School American Footballers, while legally preventing the athletes themselves from profiting from their achievements. In a game where the athletes are just one injury away from their career being brought to a premature halt, this could severely limit their ability to make income.  

For this reason, 17 year old T.A. Cunningham sought to move between states to a new High School, in order that he could earn income from his own work. However, this simple plan suddenly hit some very major hurdles. 

Cunningham’s move to California was organized by representatives from Levels Sports Group, a so-called marketing company.

However after Level Sports Group had convinced the Cunningham family that they could secure marketing opportunities for T.A if he moved to California, where it is legal for high school athletes to profit off their name and to copyright their image, the Levels Sports Group co-founder Chris Flores was arrested on the suspicion that he had committed multiple counts of sexual assault on a minor. This was after TA and his younger brother stayed at the home of Flores.  

It is also reported that after the arrest of Flores all communicating with T.A. Cunningham ceased, and all contracts were terminated, at which point T.A. Cunningham received a ban from playing High School Football in California.

Fortunately, this unfortunate decision has since been reversed, and T.A. Cunningham who is the top-ranked player in California in the Class of 2024 and the No. 33 overall prospect in the ESPN 300, has now been freed by the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation to play for Los Alamitos High School, and to look for suitable sponsors and financial deals.

T.A. had previously sought an injunction against the original decision in the Superior Court, but his request had been denied.

For us, the most important fact is there would have been no need for T.A. Cunningham to move to California and these unfortunate events would not have happened, if Georgia had simply recognized the right of all athletes to profit from their work. 

Yes, it can be claimed they are still not adults (in US law children are still considered to be minors until the age of 18), but many children create very successful businesses while still in school.

Here T.A. Cunningham did not use a computer to create perceived worth, but should his contribution to commercial sport be given for free? 

We believe that Georgia’s law is outdated, and no-one should unwillingly work for others for no pay: especially given the amount of money that is made off the backs of High School students, and the complex history of Georgia, and other southern states.