For those who keep up with the world of collegiate sports, or simply with social media – the name Livvy Dunne likely rings familiar. Dunne, who recently began her fifth year as a collegiate gymnast at Louisiana State University (LSU), is sometimes referred to as “TikTok’s million-dollar-tumbler”. But Dunne isn’t just the most followed college athlete on social media. With an estimated Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) valuation of nearly four million dollars, she’s also established herself as the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) highest-valued female athlete, playing a significant role in the quickly evolving women’s sports landscape.
In November 2019, Dunne signed her official National Letter of Intent with LSU for the upcoming 2020/2021 season. After making her NCAA debut against Arkansas, where she earned a score of 9.875, Dunne went on to compete on the uneven bars at every regular season meet that year. Entering the post-season with a national qualifying score of 9.9 on bars, Dunne contributed to LSU’s second place finish at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships that year, and soon after scored another 9.9 on bars during the 2021 NCAA Championship Semi-Finals. It was this same year that Dunne created an account on the popular social media platform TikTok, where she began posting videos of both her gymnastics and her personal life. Today, with over eight million followers on TikTok, and five million followers on Instagram, Dunne is the most followed NCAA athlete, male or female, on social media.
When the NCAA adopted their new NIL policies in 2021; which would allow college athletes to begin profiting from the use of their own name, image and likeness – Dunne immediately found success. After quickly signing with WME Management, becoming their first NIL athlete, she soon signed what would be her first of many exclusive brand partnerships with Vuori, an American athleticwear brand. Today, Dunne remains the highest valued female NIL athlete, and the second highest overall. She has since partaken in endorsement deals with huge names including Bodyarmor, Grubhub, American Eagle and more. In a 2023 appearance on the NBC morning television show Today, Dunne shared that her endorsement deals had weighed in at over seven figures.
But despite her undeniable success, Dunne’s rise to fame was not without its challenges. In November 2022, the New York Times released an article titled “New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells,” which focused on Dunne’s success in the NIL world, referencing critics who were concerned that this type of revenue gain was rewarding athletes like Dunne for their “traditional feminine desirability”, and not their “athletic excellence”. One female collegiate coach even referred to Dunne’s success as being a “step back” for women’s sports. But Dunne has persevered through the criticism, proving time and time again that she is more than just looks – and the media’s willingness to discredit her gymnastics career and success due to her appearance as “a petite blonde with a bright smile and a gymnast’s toned physique”, only reinforces the long lived stereotype that women have to choose between being pretty and being successful.
In 2017, Dunne earned a full scholarship to LSU at just fifteen years old, three whole years before she would even compete as a Tiger. She became a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American athlete her freshman year, made the SEC Honor Roll three times, and played a role in winning LSU’s first ever NCAA gymnastics title. Before her success in collegiate gymnastics, Dunne won multiple medals at the national level, including a first place finish on Floor at the 2016 Bresteyn’s Elite Qualifier, a first place finish on beam at the 2016 KPAC Elite Qualifier, and a qualifying score to the P&G Championships at the 2016 Secret U.S. Classic. At the 2016 P&G Championships, Dunne went on to earn two medals, one on Floor and one on Beam, and in 2017, Dunne attended the National Team Camps at the USA Olympic Training Center in Texas. She was then selected to represent the United States at the Jesolo Trophy competition in Italy as a part of the USA Junior National Team – which won the gold All Around medal. In 2017, the same year she accepted her full athletic scholarship to LSU, Dunne competed at the 2017 US Classic in Chicago, bringing home three medals, and the 2017 P&G Championships, winning medals on both Floor and Beam. In 2018, she competed at the Jesolo Trophy competition again, as well as the 2018 US Classic. Dunne isn’t just a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model (although this is another impressive accomplishment she has under her belt) and she’s not just an accomplished athlete; she was also named one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 influential creators in 2023, as well as to the Forbes 30 under 30 list that same year. Dunne has set the precedent for what female athletes, especially those competing in non-revenue generating sports such as gymnastics, can accomplish through their collegiate careers. Alongside other prominent names from LSU, Dunne recently starred in the brand new Amazon Prime docuseries, The Money Game, which follows herself, Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and others as they navigate the NIL landscape – bringing even more awareness to women in the collegiate realm. Outside of her personal success, prior to the start of her Senior year, Dunne announced the creation of the Livvy Fund in partnership with Bayou Traditions. The Livvy Fund connects female athletes at LSU with top brands, helping them to secure NIL endorsements. Through this project of hers, Dunne has already helped eight of her own teammates secure endorsement deals, and hopes to foster long-lasting brand deals for her peers, ultimately leaving a lasting impact at LSU.
Livvy Dunne is far more than just a pretty face, and identifying her as such completely short changes her accomplishments as both an athlete and influencer. The significant contributions she has made, and the impact she has had on women’s athletics at LSU and beyond cannot be understated. As the landscape of women’s sports continues to change like never before, and more and more female athletes are finally receiving the platforms and credit they deserve – failing to recognize the important role that the NCAA’s most followed college athlete and highest-valued female NIL athlete has played would be a real shame. The only ones taking a “step back” from equality in the world of women’s sports are those who continue to accredit the success of incredible female athletes, such as Dunne, solely to their physical appearances.