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“Match Made in Heaven”: $6,000,000 Worth LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne Found Her Perfect First NIL Brand Deal

Published 06/02/2023, 4:42 PM EDT

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It seems like Olivia Dunne has always had a fire burning bright inside of her. Dunne was a gymnast at the age of 3 when she was just a baby. At 11 years old, she became the youngest USA International Elite gymnast and won gold with the USA Junior National Team in 2017. By the time she turned 16, she already had 100,000 followers on Instagram. Dunne also got a scholarship and joined the Louisiana State University (LSU).

When the NCAA announced in July 2021 that they will allow athletes who are college-going students to capitalize off their fame and make money off marketing deals, Dunne’s life changed forever. The 20-year-old gymnast had a huge following on her social media, and it was widely known that she would lead the charge when it came to monetizing her name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Olivia Dunne gets her first NIL deal

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Now, Olivia Dunne is worth $6,000,000 and has earned the same through many strategic partnerships and endorsement deals. The gymnastics star currently has 7.2 million followers on TikTok and another 3.7 million on Instagram. While the number was lesser in 2021, it was still significant enough that brands were chomping at the bits to have Dunne be an ambassador. In fact, it is speculated that Olivia Dunne is the college athlete who has benefitted the most from the new NIL policy. In 2021, she signed a deal with the activewear brand, Vuori, one of her first major deals. In a recent interview, Dunne couldn’t help but sing praises of the brand.

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During the interview, she said, “Vuori, it just felt like a match made in heaven, honestly. Our values, they really aligned and it felt really authentic to me.” After the deal with Vuori, Dunne gradually started endorsing the product on her Instagram. In the interview, she also revealed how her audience has always had a positive response to all things Vuori. The college gymnast’s association with Vuori has definitely been a fruitful one.

 

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Dunne on her deal with Vuori

Vuori was Livvy Dunne’s first NIL deal. As her first NIL deal, she wanted to choose a brand that would reflect her own principles, and she found that in Vuori. According to Forbes, Livvy said, “This is my first exclusive brand deal I’ve ever done, so I was trying to find a brand to work with that is authentic to me and that I would want to introduce to my audience to because they trust me.” Before endorsing the product to her followers on social media, she tried the products herself and found them to be of top-notch quality.

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This led to her long-lasting association with the brand. Describing the feeling, Dunne said, “Ever since I put on my first Vuori sports bra, it was such quality material… the world needs to see it. It’s such a great brand.” Vuori is not the only brand deal Dunne currently has. She has also signed with American Eagle, Planet Fuel, and one of the US biggest sports agencies, WME Sports. In the women’s NIL valuation top 100 list, Dunne currently ranks as the highest, No. 1.

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Written by:

Apoorva Behl

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Apoorva Behl is a sports writer for EssentiallySports. With a range that would make Bruce Lee proud, Apoorva’s writing embodies the philosophy of "Be Like Water," flowing seamlessly between a diverse range of sports and sensitive angles. Her articles are known to resonate with her audience, earning her a common spot on the Editor’s Pick list.
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Edited by:

Anupama Ghosh