High school football's endorsement business runs into a state-line divide

The Wall Street Journal follows Chris Coleman and his parents through a Florida NIL system that allows deals Texas still restricts.

Channel: The Wall Street Journal Story of November 10, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of The Wall Street Journal's most watched videos since yesterday, with 46,740 views.

The Business Behind a 15-Year-Old Football Star’s NIL Deals | WSJ

An endorsement deal doesn't always mean a paycheck. For Chris Coleman, a 15-year-old wide receiver at Florida's St. Thomas Aquinas High School, it can mean sandwiches. His mother, Dr. Shavonne Ramsey-Coleman, explains the distinction in The Wall Street Journal's report: "And a lot of it is trade, more trade deals than actual cash deals..."

The documentary follows Coleman and his parents through the expanding high school business of NIL, short for name, image and likeness. These arrangements let athletes earn from their personal identities through endorsements, bringing brand negotiations and commercial obligations into school-age sports.

His father, LaMonte Coleman, coordinates partnerships from a home office. Chris practices catches with him and shows college gear from programs that have extended offers. Football development and marketing are happening alongside each other, with his parents handling the business calls.

The Journal frames the wider debate around a competing set of concerns: endorsement opportunities can help families offset the costs of elite youth sports, but they also extend the professionalization of amateur athletics. Its report says six states still restrict NIL activity before college.

That divide becomes concrete when St. Thomas Aquinas meets DeSoto, a Texas school. DeSoto coach Claude Mathis explains the restrictions his players face, while Florida's athletic association has chosen to accommodate endorsements. Its executive director, Craig Damon, describes adapting as necessary to the organization's survival.

Florida's permission still comes with boundaries. Coleman signs a compliance affidavit separating his personal commercial obligations from his high school team's activities. That paperwork is a central detail of the report: the athlete can have a brand, but the school team and the endorsement business must remain distinct.

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High school football's endorsement business runs into a state-line divide The full story on Trari: https://trari.com/en/story/wsj-32792/

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The numbers

The report drew roughly 47,000 views since yesterday, the most among The Wall Street Journal's new uploads.

subscribers

6,730,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

2,678,767,291

views per day

745,064

typical day: 1,260,350

the video

views

46,740

likes

351

comments

43

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

CBS News

7,130,000

60 Minutes Australia

6,760,000

The Wall Street Journal

6,730,000

The Sun

6,550,000

DW News

6,500,000

News24

6,270,000

As of November 10, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.