July 6 (UPI) — Olivia Dunne, a gymnast at LSU and one of the highest-earning college athletes, has joined forces with the Bayou Traditions collective to establish a fund that will provide support to female athletes at the university. The Livvy Fund, which accepts annual, monthly, and one-time donations, aims to offer exclusive industry tips and connections to athletes through Dunne’s network, as stated on the Bayou Traditions website.
Dunne, who is 20 years old, earns around $3.5 million from name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, according to on3.com’s NIL valuations. She has nearly 12 million followers across her Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter accounts.
In a news release, Dunne stated, “As a female student-athlete, I have been fortunate enough to build a strong social media following and establish valuable brand partnerships that have launched my career in ways I couldn’t imagine. I am excited to build on this momentum by leveraging my connections and sharing my knowledge in the NIL space to create more opportunities for LSU female student-athletes while emphasizing the importance of bringing NIL funds to women in college sports.”
Dunne, who was introduced as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model in April, expressed her hope that the Livvy Fund will be the first of many to support female athletes. She said, “I really hope to get as many women student athletes on board as I can. I want to continue to elevate women’s sports as a whole because they really deserve the same publicity as the men’s. We do equal work, we put in equal time in our facilities every day and in school, so I feel like it would be right for this to be equal.”
In a recent interview with the Full Send Podcast, Dunne revealed that she earned over $500,000 from one of her NIL deals. The Bayou Tradition collective also offers memberships for fans, with annual amounts ranging from $100 to $50,000. According to the Internal Revenue Service, collectives generate and pool revenue raised through contributions from various sources such as boosters, businesses, and fans. These collectives are independent of schools and are typically founded by alumni or supporters of athletic programs.
The NCAA’s NIL policy, implemented in 2021, has allowed athletes to generate revenue while competing at the collegiate level. Other top earners in college sports include incoming USC freshman Bronny James, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, USC quarterback Caleb Williams, and LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese.
Opendorse, an NIL platform, estimates that 60% of NIL compensation went to college football players, while women’s gymnastics received only 0.7% through May 2023. Men’s basketball players received 19.2% of NIL compensation, compared to 9.2% for women’s basketball players. Most of the athletes earned this money through social media advertisements.
