Playing on the highest levels of any sport comes with its fair share of trade-offs.
This was something that I first learned and experienced while playing basketball in high school.
Growing up as a kid in Washington D.C, I have undoubtedly played against and with some of the best athletes in the country.
But I was exposed to an even higher level when I enrolled in Gonzaga College High School, a prestigious Catholic school that competes in the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Association).
Throughout my four years playing there — I played against several guys who went on to play in the NBA and NFL. Many of them are still playing professionally today.
As you can imagine, even back in high school, myself along with those other athletes lived in the spotlight because of our talent.
When you’re ranked as one of the best teams in the nation, people automatically start to notice you everywhere you go.
I’m not trying to brag or boast here. This is just the truth and it’s even worse for high school kids nowadays.
Now, it wasn’t like I was a celebrity per se, but if I wore my team hoodie or sweatpants out in public, I would get stopped by at least 2 or 3 people who would ask me, “You play ball for Gonzaga?”
Basketball, in particular, is really that big in the DC area.
So going back to the trade-offs that I mentioned previously, this attention could have potential drawbacks if we’re looking at personal branding for high school athletes.
The thing about this is that kids will be kids and the thing that kids do is make mistakes.
But the public doesn’t have sympathy for high school star athletes even if they are thrust in the spotlight naively.
This brings me to ask the questions, “Is it too early for high school athletes to start thinking about how to brand themselves given their immaturity and lack of sound judgment?”
My answer is simply that not only do they have to start thinking about it, they have no choice but to start branding themselves.
What we all have to realize is that our personal brands are being built regardless of whether we’re thinking about it or not.
High school athletes have to start thinking about branding because controlling the narrative is the best way to put themselves in a position to succeed long-term.
It’s the best way to get people to know you and relate to you.
Especially with everything that is happening with the NCAA and the Fair Play to Pay Act.
The high school athletes who take advantage now will be able to see it pay off very, very soon in a number of different ways.
As I said before being in the public spotlight wasn’t a choice for us back then. It came with the territory. And that spotlight only gets brighter as you move along in your career.
It’s on high school athletes to not only think about branding but to take it seriously and recognize the amount of influence and impact that they have.
People are always watching, observing and paying close attention to what they are doing at all hours of the day. When they’re on social media they have to be responsible and conduct themselves appropriately. When they are out at parties or in public they have to think about the company they keep. Even when they’re playing their sport, they have to be cognizant of the crowd, their body language, and their reactions.
The last thing you want is to have a career that ends before it begins because of the mistakes you made as a high school athlete.
All in all, when you think about high school athletes and whether it’s too early for them to start building their brand, I say absolutely not.
This is the best time in history to be an athlete.
And in fact, I would say that most of them might already be late to the party.
