Listed as among the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the NCAA, American gymnast Olivia Dunne recently shed light on the unequal opportunities for women in the field of gymnastics. She boldly pointed out that male athletes finding opportunities post-college is a matter of juggling balls in the air, while female athletes often themselves in a quandary to make it as established athletes.?
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Talking to People on 6th March 2023, the athlete and social media influencer shared her insights on the issue. Doing her bit to highlight the issue at the right places, she declared her participance to stand as a significant figure and work towards uplifting the capitalizing potential of women in the discourse of gymnastics. Here?s what she stated.?
Olivia Dunne speaks from experience
According to People, the 20-year-old star athlete indicated that the professional competitions for gymnasts are gender-biased immediately after college. “There’s so many professional leagues for men’s sports after college, but there’s such a small timeframe for women to capitalize,? Dunne revealed.?
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Further, she iterated her objective on the matter. She aspires to alter the present state of female athletes and also beyond the sports community by making efficient use of the NIL policy. NIL, that is, Name, Image, and Likeness, refers to the stardom of collegiate pros who receive promotional initiatives based on it. Posing her observation over the NIL policy, she stated, “Opportunities for men and women in NCAA sports should be equal. But a lot of the NIL collectives only go to men’s athletics.”
“I want to show you can do whatever you love ? whether it’s gymnastics or music or painting and capitalize on it and create your own business,? the LSU athlete added.
Reportedly, Dunne who also goes by the name, Livvy on her social media has a massive fanbase on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. With 7.2 million followers on the latter and 3.7 million on the Meta-led platform, she earns a 7-figure capital income from the associated endorsements. Notably, she earns more than the Olympian champion, Suni Lee.?
How does the NIL policy benefit women athletes?
According to sources, the paid NIL initiatives were implemented starting from the 1st of July, 2021. This was done to allow college athletes to earn decent incomes on the basis of their popularity. The policy can be applied along many tangents that fall under its regulations. For instance, social media opportunities, guest appearances, and even signing autographs too fall under the NIL radar. With a restricted number of women athletes under the policy, Olivia Dunne now tops the list.?
However, the reality contradicts the proposed structure of the policy since very few collectives essentially prioritize the opportunities for women in sports. Most of the funds and lucrative endorsements are directed toward their male counterparts, as Dunne emphasized in her comments. Remarkably, the University of Utah and a Utah-based collective, Who Rocks The House specifically target women athletes and provide funds without any management or processing expenses.
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Although Dunne’s bank account seems sorted, she chose to voice the inconsistencies as far as the implementation processes are concerned. Moreover, she strives to enhance the status of women in business-specific aspects and use her influencing power to help them utilize the maximum potential of the NIL policies.?
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Edited by
Jahnabi Choudhury