"They're going to have to fight to keep their programs alive" - Olivia Dunne reflects on effect of NCAA judging on non-LSU teams

The 2024 NCAA Championship gold-medalist gymnast, Olivia Dunne, recently shared her opinions on the collegiate points system. Additionally, she has expressed the multi-faceted limitations the score system presents for the sport, the fan base, and other programs with less backing.

Dunne, who has signed major NIL deals with multiple brands including American Eagle and Vuori, had earlier shared her views regarding the future of women’s gymnastics. Through her viewpoint, Dunne focused on the popularity of the sport, revenue generation, and the emotional stress that is put on athletes considering the score systems set in place.

While shedding light on the intricacies of the score system, Dunne has also shared her perspective on the reason behind this and the support that came across to her message. In an interview with the Guardian, the artistic gymnast mentioned that she has received concerns from many individuals over this matter. She further shared:

“I’m not doing it for myself or LSU. LSU fans are die-hard fans. People that love gymnastics here are season-ticket holders. They love it. They would never miss a meet.”

“I’m talking about smaller programs as well that don’t have boosters like LSU.… They’re going to have to fight to keep their programs alive if they don’t have fans or engagement or popularity. It’s going to be a lot harder for those programs.”

She is now on her final season with the 2024 NCAA Champions LSU Tigers. Dunne, in collaboration with Bayou Traditions, also works towards “The Livvy Fund,” a program designed to help LSU female student athletes to secure NIL deals.

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Olivia Dunne on becoming a social media icon and her rising fanbase

Olivia Dunne at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center 2025 - Source: Getty

The artistic gymnast, Olivia Dunne, has a massive fan following on her social media channels. She is the most followed collegiate athlete globally and shared her thoughts on her internet rise, as per Forbes.

“I think it's the balancing act of my life. I think it's because I'm a student athlete, I go to class, I go to the gym, and I also do work on top of that. I think it really helps being present in each moment because it's really easy to get distracted with all these things going on in my life. So, just compartmentalizing everything really helps.”

Olivia Dunne shared that maintaing balance is important and that she has a system of support helping her to achieve her goals. She started her passion for gymnastics from a very young age and has multiple accolades under her name.