“Somebody pinch me” - NCAA gymnast Olivia Dunne excited to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's ‘The Money Issue'
Gymnast and social media star, Olivia Dunne expressed her excitement at being featured again on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated. This time the 20-year-old is sharing the frame with LSU basketball star Angel Reese as they promote ‘The Money Issue’ agenda of the magazine.
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne has amassed a remarkable net worth of $3.3 million by showcasing her athletic talent on social media. Moreover, the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy helped ‘Livvy’ to make most of the brand deals and endorsements effectively. Her current NIL valuation stands at $3.2million. In contrast, 21-year-old Angel Reese with a net worth of $3 million, holds a NIL valuation of $1.7 million.
The NIL Policy, introduced by the NCAA in 2021 provides college athletes with varying degrees of new protections and opportunities to monetize their social media presence. However, for the longest time, the policy has been facing challenges due to the lower valuation numbers for female athletes compared to their male counterparts.
As of 2023, Olivia Dunne and Angel Reese are the only female student-athletes in the top 10 of the NIL valuation rankings. Consequently, when Sports Illustrated published an article titled ‘The Money Issue’ on the NIL policy by Stephanie Apstein, the magazine chose to feature the highest-earning female athletes for its cover.
To celebrate this significant achievement, Dunne shared the news on her Instagram story, posting a picture of the cover and expressing her excitement with the words:
“Somebody pinch me,” Olivia Dunne wrote.
Olivia Dunne launches a venture to help female LSU athletes
In July, Olivia Dunne launched a thoughtful venture, ‘The Livvy Fund’ to help female LSU athletes in building successful careers, following in her footsteps. The fund aims to support women athletes from her university and advocate for equal pay rights within the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy.
She also extensively discussed her venture with SI.com, emphasizing that 66% of the funds raised in the NIL collectives tend to male athletes, and she is determined to change this practice. She said,
“The collectives mostly go to the men’s sports here at LSU and I just want to fight for equal NIL opportunities.”
Dunne also highlighted the importance of supporting female college athletes:
“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."
To support her fund, Livvy reached out to several brands for contributions and urged her fans to provide financial support for her mission.