Two weeks after 'PBA' voted through, IHSAA commissioner addresses new bylaw in letter

Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Paul Neidig posted a message through the IHSAA’s social media channels on Monday that caught my attention. Neidig addressed the “Personal Branding Activity” bylaw that was approved at the IHSAA board of directors meeting by a 13-5 vote two weeks ago. The 529-word letter begins with the statement, “It’s different here,” which refers to the passion for high school sports in Indiana – and Neidig’s belief that education-based athletics needs to retain some separation “from other levels of amateur sports.

” Neidig touched on PBA bylaw to create a distinction between the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) model in college athletics. A Letter from the Commissioner “It’s different here. ” That’s been a theme of our Association over the course of the 2025-26 school year.

As Commissioner, I believe it resonates with the passion and support our communities show for local high school sports. As a Hoosier, I… pic. twitter.

com/cGMpJVN1cV — IHSAA (@IHSAA1) May 18, 2026 “As much as we wish it weren’t the case, the high school landscape is constantly reshaped by developments in college sports,” Neidig wrote. “More accurately, it’s reshaped by the expectations of parents who believe their children will one day be navigating the structure of high Division I sports. As such, it makes it nearly impossible to talk about the introduction of PBA without comparing it to what exists in college.