She’s already one of the highest paid college athletes in the country thanks to a reported $3.3 million in NIL endorsements, according to On3.
Now LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne is looking to spread the wealth.
“I just want to show other girls that they can have it all. They can be a savvy businesswoman. They can capitalize on their NIL while still in college,” Dunne told SI Swimsuit.
To that end, Dunne, who is both a top gymnast and a top social media star, announced a new partnership with Bayou Traditions called The Livvy Fund.
The goal of the new project is to connect other female athletes at LSU with top brands in the hopes of scoring them the same types of NIL opportunities she has benefitted from.
At just 20 years old, Dunne has rocketed to fame in the last few years via her social media presence, and that celebrity has helped her become one of the top earners among all college athletes, male or female.
Dunne ranks second in NIL endorsements, trailing only Bronny James, son of LeBron James.
“I really just hope that [The Livvy Fund] is the first of many,” Dunne said in the interview. “I really hope to get as many women student athletes on board as I can. I want to continue to elevate women’s sports as a whole because they really deserve the same publicity as the men’s. We do equal work, we put in equal time in our facilities every day and in school, so I feel like it would be right for this to be equal.”
Around two-thirds of all NIL dollars raised by NIL collectives is earned by male athletes, so Dunne is hoping her new project could level the playing field for women.
NIL collectives are comprised of fans and boosters and pool donations offered to individual athletes.
“The collectives mostly go to the men’s sports here at LSU and I just want to fight for equal NIL opportunities,” Dunne said. “It’s very important to help educate other student athletes here at LSU on how to be a savvy businesswoman and how to partner with brands. Over the past two years, I’ve learned so much from these brands, so I just want to help educate others and help give equal opportunities.”
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