What caused an unprecedented spike in Olivia Dunne's NIL rankings? Tracking her current spot in the A-profile list

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne is currently riding a wave of popularity that has seen her value rise to $3.3 million behind basketball sensation Bronny James. Dunne's widespread acclaim has seen her push to No. 2 on the On3 top 100 list.

Gymnastics isn't typically a sport that leads to multiple endorsements for college athletes, but Dunne is bucking the trend.

Dunne, affectionately known to her fans as "Livvy," recently revealed a shocking aspect about her endorsements that had fans' tongues wagging. She disclosed that she was paid over $500,000 for one sponsored Instagram post.

This had the knock-on effect of significantly raising her NIL valuation. It also brought back the debate about female student-athletes, their various endorsements, and whether they deserved them.

Last year, Olivia Dunne was the target of a piece from the New York Times that attacked her earnings and whether she deserved them, and she revived the debate again this week. She revealed how it opened up more opportunities for her.

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Olivia Dunne's controversies and rise to stardom

In November 2022, the New York Times published a piece titled “New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells.” In it, the writer criticized Olivia Dunne for profiting from her good looks.

She immediately hit back by posting a racy leotard-clad picture and tagged New York Times, asking sarcastically, "@Nytimes is this too much?"

LSU v Auburn

On a recent episode of "Full Send Podcast," Dunne revealed that she did not back down against a behemoth like the New York Times when the article aired, which caused her to get a deal with Sports Illustrated.

Dunne snagged a spot on the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition due to her stance against the article.

Olivia Dunne has become so popular that LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark revealed that they were beefing up security due to the behavior of her fans. This happened after a meet in Utah where fans disrupted proceedings with their signs and incessant chanting for Dunne.

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Dunne's NIL rankings

LSU v Auburn

Olivia Dunne is the most followed NCAA athlete in the country, with 4.2 million followers on Instagram and 7.6 million on TikTok.

This has propelled her up the NIL valuation rankings over the more traditionally marketable athletes in sports like football and basketball. Being second to only Bronny James and above stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark shows her reach.

It helps Dunne's profile immensely as she generates newsworthy hype wherever she goes. Last week, she was trending due to her TikTok video at the NASCAR Cup Series race in Nashville.

In the video, she poses with two US Army soldiers while a song plays in the background, and Dunne mouths, "My pronouns are U.S.A." The video was praised by quite a few people as patriotic but was slammed in other quarters for misusing pronouns.