Over the few years, star LSU gymnast Olivia "Livvy" Dunne has made as much, if not more, of a name for herself as a budding entrepreneur than from the sport that thrust her into the spotlight. But even though the 21-year-old plans to stay on the team for a fifth year after graduating with her undergraduate degree this spring, she's already plotting out her next steps.
Since the NCAA enacted its updated its NIL (name, image and likeness) rules in 2021 to allow college athletes to start capitalizing off their personal brands, Dunne has racked up an estimated $9.5 million in endorsement deals with brands such as American Eagle, Nautica, Raising Cane’s, Ulta Beauty, Purina, and Accelerator energy drink, among others. With 5.3 million followers on Instagram and 8.1 million on TikTok, she now charges around $125,000 for sponsored social media posts.
While promoting the new six-part Prime Video docuseries The Money Game, which follows LSU athletes navigating the uncharted waters of NIL, Dunne spoke to the New York Post to discuss what's next for her. A big part of her strategy boils down to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. After making her debut in 2023, the blonde also graced the pages of the magazine's 60th anniversary issue this year.
"I feel like [Sports Illustrated] is something that can last beyond college," she explained. "I think that’s important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college. And [SI Swim] is one of those, I don’t even want to call it a partnership, because they’re like family to me. That’s been amazing."
But beyond building her own personal brand, Dunne remains committed to educating other young athletes about NIL deals. In July 2023, she launched The Livvy Fund in order to leverage her business acumen to help female LSU athletes monetize their own careers.
"Girls don’t know where to start. Because that’s sometimes half the battle," she continued. "And it’s very important to capitalize on your NIL while you’re in college if you’re a female, because there’s not a lot of professional leagues after college for most women’s sports."
"So I definitely want to do something [in NIL] overall, after I’m done at LSU. And hopefully expand beyond LSU and help educate people and just help girls out," she added. "I’ve always loved sports. So definitely something in the sports realm."
On the subject of sports, Dunne saw her star rise even further this past year when she began dating rookie Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. Together, the two young athletes are already well on their way to becoming a power couple, but either way it's clear that there's no slowing Dunne down.
