"My whole entire life was so different after that" - Olivia Dunne on college-level athletes being allowed to make money via endorsements

LSU star Olivia Dunne has become the instant crush of America, garnering millions of followers on various social media platforms. The college-level gymnast also stands as one of the highest-paid athletes currently.

Having made her elite-level debut in 2014, Olivia Dunne placed 28th all-around at the American Classic. After turning senior in 2018, Dunne continued to take part in various events representing her club before taking on the NCAA in LSU Tigers' colors in 2020. In the same year, Dunne joined TikTok, wherein she posts videos about the various aspects of her life. And as of right now, the gymnast has over 7 million followers on the platform and an additional 4 million on Instagram, making her the most followed NCAA athlete on social media.

Whilst recently appearing on a podcast run by the YouTube channel Full Send Podcast, Olivia revealed that her entire life changed since college-level athletes were allowed to earn money.

Q- "Just how much, like the college, probably scene or industry, has changed ever since they allowed college athletes to make money? Was it the year that you got into college that that changed?"

Ans - "So, my freshman year, the role hadn't changed yet. It was kind of, it was in the talks. I didn’t ever think ever think it was going to change. But 2021 rolled around, and then it changed that summer. And then my whole entire life was so different after that."

Olivia Dunne's off-court earnings skyrocketed her income to over $10 million in 2021, owing to endorsement deals with brands such as American Eagle, Motorola's Vuori, and Forever 21.

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Olivia Dunne and her feud with the New York Times

Being the center of attention in any aspect comes with fame as well as criticism. While the 20-year-old may be one of the most followed athletes on social media, the harsh reality of media scrutiny hasn't evaded her. In November last year, the NY Times came up with an article on Dunne with the headline reading: "New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: S*x Sells.”

The piece claimed that Olivia Dunne's fame was largely due to her physical traits and not her gymnastics abilities. The LSU gymnast soon retaliated with the following response:

"It was complete BS. I mean, they called me on the phone in November and they told me that they were going to write about my accomplishments and stuff and I was like, ‘OK, for sure. That’s awesome. The New York Times. That’s huge. The interviewer called me and he was asking me very odd questions. It was worded quite weird."

Olivia Dunne has since been seen visiting multiple sporting events including NASCAR, College World Series Baseball, etc. Dunne also posted a video where she is accompanied by two US soldiers as she mouths the words, "My pronouns are U.S.A." While some people complimented her patriotism, others criticized her for misusing her fame.