Part II By-Laws of the North Dakota High School Activities Association

Article VIII: Amateurism¶

SECTION I:¶

All contestants must be amateurs.

SECTION II:¶

Professionalism is defined as accepting remuneration, directly or indirectly, for playing on athletic teams or for managing, officiating or playing under assumed names. Reasonable meals, lodging and transportation may be accepted if accepted in service and not in any other way.

SECTION III:¶

A student shall be considered as violating his/her amateur standing if he/she participates in athletic activities, tryouts, practices and games held or sponsored by professional athletic organizations, clubs, or their representatives during the season of a sport. This rule shall not apply to activities during the summer vacation.

NOTE:  Any employee or school official of a member school who acts as an agent or encourages any negotiations between a student and representatives of Organized Baseball prior to the student's graduation is violating the agreement between the National Federation and Organized Baseball. Such action on the part of any employee or school official may cause his/her school to be suspended from the Association for a period of time to be determined by the Board.

Any evidence that a representative of Organized Baseball is attempting to, or has signed a student prior to graduation, should be reported to the Secretary at once. This is a violation of the agreement between the National Federation and Organized Baseball, and penalty for such action is under the jurisdiction of Organized Baseball.

SECTION IV:¶

No high school student shall be eligible to participate in any interschool contest or activity under the rules of the Association if it shall be shown that he/she or any member of his/her family is receiving or has received any remuneration, either directly or indirectly, to influence him/her or his/her family to reside in a given school district or to attend any given school in order to establish eligibility on the team or organizations of said school, and any school permitting such participation shall, upon satisfactory evidence, be suspended from membership in the Association for a term of not less than a year.

This rule shall not interfere with the right of high school pupils to work during vacation or during out-of-school hours in order to pay their way through school. It shall apply to the use of funds created by gift or by subscription with the intent of offering them or parts of them for the free use of the student or any member of his/her family as an inducement to secure their attendance at said school and to become eligible for participation in the activities thereof.

SECTION V:¶

Reinstatement of amateur status: A high school student who has violated his/her amateur standing according to the rules and By-Laws of the Association may apply for reinstatement as an amateur to the Board one calendar year after the date he/she was declared ineligible on account of the violation, provided he/she has been in school throughout the year.

Such application shall be in writing and shall be signed by the student and superintendent or principal, and shall certify that one calendar year has elapsed since the student was declared ineligible, and that the student has not violated amateur rules during that calendar year.

INTERPRETATIONS SECTIONS I, II, III, IV, Vor Article VIII -- Amateurism¶

Please note that this article attempts to define and distinguish between amateurism and professionalism. This section applies specifically to athletic contests and is not applicable to music and speech events. This particular section is in the By-Laws to protect a student in his/her high school days and also to deter him/her from committing an act which would affect his/her amateur standing as a prospective college athlete.

A student may benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) consistent with current NDHSAA regulations. (June 2022)