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The Louisiana State University Tigers women’s gymnastics team faced off against Kentucky on Friday night in their first competition following a disturbing incident involving fans of gymnast Olivia Dunne at their season opener against Utah last week.
Dunne, 20, did not participate in Friday night’s meet due to an injury, yet it didn’t prevent dozens of male spectators gathering to watch her and hold up supportive signs in the arena.
In an effort to prevent similar incidents in the future, LSU and their university implemented increased security measures that included having a security guard travel with the team, stationed outside the team locker room and going to and from the team bus.
‘The officer will be there to create a perimeter that keeps everybody safe,’ Head coach Jay Clark said.
Louisiana State University Tigers women’s gymnast Olivia Dunne interacts with fans during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet on Friday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
Olivia Dunne reacts to a performance during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet on Friday
Dunne watches on as LSU women’s gymnastics team faced off against Kentucky on Friday
Last week some fans seemed to ‘swarm’ her and her teammates as they tried to leave a recent event, forcing police to have to come and help them get to safety
The 20-year-old posted a statement online after mobs of boys called her teammate ‘Livvy 2.0’ before saying ‘you’ll do’
Clark said he wanted to make sure that fans can seek autographs of the gymnasts but insisted his athlete’s safety had to be a priority.
Gymnasts often interact and mingle with their family and friends between routines but Clark suggested that could change in order to better protect the athletes.
‘Things have to change. We just can’t expose them,’ Clark told the Advocate/Times-Picayune. ‘We’re looking at some policy changes that will give parents access at a different location to their daughters.’
Dunne, who has a following of almost 3 million on social media requested fans be respectful when attending future meets.
Dunne did not participate in the meet on Friday night against Utah, due to an injury
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne interacts with fans during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne signs a photo during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet
LSU team had a security guard travel with the team, be present in the hotel, outside the locker room, and during transportation to and from the team bus
Fans wait for LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet
A fan holds up a sign saying ‘Livvy will you marry me’ during the Friday’s meet
After huge crowds of boys called one of her teammates ‘Livvy 2.0’ and told her ‘you’ll do’ for a photo last weekend, Dunne posted her statement online.
‘I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job,’ Dunne wrote on Twitter.
Officials were forced to move the LSU team bus to avoid them, while police were stationed in front to help the athletes get to safety.
The 20-year-old Dunne has amassed 6.7 million followers on TikTok and is the top-earning female collegiate athlete in name, image and likeness, or NIL, sponsorships
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne hugs her teammates during the Kentucky vs. LSU gymnastics meet
Dunne sat out the meet as the LSU’s women’s gymnastics team competed against Kentucky on Friday night
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne chalks her hands during the meet
A group of male fans wait for LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne during the meet on Friday night
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne stand with her teammates during the meet on Friday
Dunne is seen chalking up her hands on Friday night during the meet in Lexington, Kentucky
Dunne has become a social media sensation after posting flirty photos to Instagram and lip-sync videos to TikTok and has amassed a net worth of $2.3 million thanks to her gymnastics and sponsorship deals.
Olivia, better known as Livvy, is regarded as one of the most influential college athletes. Her fans showed up to support her in Salt Lake City last week even though she wasn’t in the line-up.
In addition to her success as an athlete, she has also found fame as a well-known star on TikTok, where she regularly documents her her lavish lifestyle with her nearly seven million followers.
In addition to her success as an athlete, she has also found fame as a well-known star on TikTok where she regularly documents her her lavish lifestyle with her nearly seven million followers
On social media, Dunne begged fans to be ‘respectful’ following the incidents at the meet
Last week, the teens reportedly kept asking if Livvy was leaving the Huntsman Center, before chanting her name
Dunne is now among several female athletes joining the rank of millionaires through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
After college athletes were allowed to enter such deals last years, there has been an upward trend of female athletes showing off candid and flirty posts to secure millions of social media followers that boosts endorsement deals.
Dunne has earned almost $2million-a-year from sponsors and photos on social media.
After years of competition, she made her elite debut at the 2014 American Classic and went on to join the U.S. national gymnastics team three years later.
In 2020, she stepped away from elite gymnastics to compete at the college level at Louisiana State University.
The athlete (seen in 2022) said she was invited to try out for her local gym’s pre-team at age five, and as soon as she started competing, she ‘knew she had a passion for the sport’
In 2016, Olivia won the Bresteyn’s Elite Qualifier, as well as the KPAC Elite Qualifier. She also competed in the P&G Championships that year, where she earned two medals – on floor and beam. She is seen in 2022
Dunne’s large wealth stems from this rise as an influencer, where she posts sponsored ads on her social media pages flooded with pics of the gymnast showing off her body.
Some of her recent deals have been with American Eagle Outfitters and Vuori activewear.
Dunne grew her social media following by sharing an inside look at her glamorous life as an NCAA gymnast – becoming the most-followed collegiate athlete on the web with more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram and 6.3 million on TikTok.
But she wasn’t inititally allowed to make any money from her internet endeavors, due to the NCAA’s strict policy about its members selling sponsorships.
That is, until June 30, 2021, when the organization changed its rules, announcing that it would allow its athletes to earn a profit off of their name, image, and likeness.
One month later, Olivia signed with Endeavor Talent Agency’s WME Sports, and in September, she announced that she had landed a partnership with activewear brand Vuori – which Forbes reported was worth ‘mid-six figures.’
She has since landed sponsorships with clothing companies like American Eagle and Forever 21 (left), as well as the app Nate (right)
On June 30, 2021, the NCAA announced that it would allow its athletes to earn a profit off of their name, image, and likeness – a move that turned Olivia into a millionaire at only 18 years old
And while she was quickly flooded with opportunities from other companies who wanted to work with her, she told the outlet that she was going to be picky, and only choose ones that were ‘authentic to her.’
However, Stanford University’s Tara VanDerveer, the most successful coach in women’s college basketball, told the New York Times back in November that technological development has allowed for outdated sexist behavior to continue – referencing that the focus of female athlete’s physical appearance is step backward.
Dunne issued a defense of her own in the New York Times article, insisting she was proud of her achievement.
She claimed the social media strategy has allowed her to earn a larger salary than what focusing on sports alone would have gotten her.
‘Seven figures,’ she said. ‘That is something I’m proud of. Especially since I’m a woman in college sports.
Dunne, now 20, better known as Livvy, originally from New Jersey, has been making waves in the gymnastics world recently
Although the social media tactic has allowed young female athletes to join the rank of millionaires, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said the trend was regressive for women in sports
‘There are no professional leagues for most women’s sports after college,’ she added.
However, VanDerveer insisted the social media strategy was a ‘step back’ in her criticism of Dunne.
‘I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back,’ she said. ‘We’re fighting for all the opportunities to compete, to play, to have resources, to have facilities, to have coaches, and all the things that go with Olympic-caliber athletics.’
‘This is a step back,’ she added.
After the article was published, Dunne called it ‘too much,’ sharing a screenshot of the article to her Instagram Story, writing, ‘Is this too much?’ and tagging the outlet.
When asked about her online persona by the outlet, she explained that each person is entitled to ‘show as much or as little’ of themselves on the internet as ‘they want.’
Her mother, Katherine Dunne, also addressed rumors that ‘the way Livvy dresses’ means she ‘deserves’ to be treated with disrespect by her fans.
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