Livvy Dunne is a gymnastics star worth $9.5m but couldn’t capitalize on social media popularity until major rule change
Livvy Dunne has amassed over eight million followers on TikTok and an additional five million on Instagram.
The Louisiana State University (LSU) gymnastics star, who has appeared on the coveted front cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition and is dating MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, is one of the most popular athletes in college sports.
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The 21-year-old social media phenom is already worth an impressive $9.5 million, but it wasn't until the NCAA's (National Collegiate Athletics Association) radical NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policy change in July 2021 that she was able to capitilize on her soaring celebrity status.
The landmark legislation around NIL finally allowed student-athletes to make money from their associated brands for the first time in history.
Before the rule change, athletes were prohibited from receiving any form of compensation from their brands as long as they were competing in the NCAA.
But once the new policies came into effect, student-athletes like Dunne could theoretically make millions of dollars through endorsements before turning pro - which is exactly what she did.
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Dunne is one of six athletes featured in Amazon Prime Video’s new six-part docuseries, 'The Money Game: LSU', which provides a deep dive into in the seismic impact the NIL has had one some of LSU's most famous stars.
During one of the episodes, Dunne explains how game-changing the NIL was for her.
"I had amassed around 100,000 followers from just gymnastics," she .
"That kind of all blew up when quarantine came around and TikTok came about.
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"Then some of my favorite brands reach out to me and they were like, 'hey, can we send you some free products?'"
"But I couldn't take any because of the NIL rule hadn't changed yet," which she says "sucked".
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However, in 2021, during Dunne's freshman year in college, coaches made her aware that the rule around NIL was likely to change.
"I didn't really think anything of it," Dunne admits.
"[But in] July 21, 2021, the NIL rule changed, and that's the day my life changed."
Watch the brand new trailer for 'The Money Game LSU' which follows the likes of Livvy Dunne, Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Jayden Daniels and their dramatic rise
Change it did.
According to , Dunne now earns $3.9 million per year.
The Maryland native has secured lucrative endorsement deals with powerhouse brands such as Reebok, Topps, Tampax, Forever 21, American Eagle, Vuori and Beats by Dre - while still being in college.
Last season, she was a part of the LSU women's gymnastics team which won its first national championship in program history.
That same year, Dunne revealed that she had received more than $500K for a single social media post online.
Dunne is one of six LSU athletes spotlighted in the new documentary which underlines the dramatic change that has benefitted some of college sports biggest names.
Former LSU Lady Tigers star-turned-WNBA sensation Angel Reese, shooting guard Flau'jae Johnson, track and field champion Alia Armstrong, Heisman winner/Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and ex LSU Tigers guard Trace Young are all featured in the doc which was filmed during the 2023-24 athletic season.
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Reese, who is featured in the series alongside Dunne, is one of LSU's most famous stars in recent years.
The 'Bayou Barbie' revolutionized women's college basketball alongside longtime rival and fellow WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark.
The ridiculously marketable Chicago Sky forward is currently one of the biggest names in women's basketball and is now an official brand ambassador for confectionary brand Reese's Pieces.
“The fans really made this happen,” “This collection is for my Reese’s Pieces — who’ve been with me every step of the way.”
The 6ft 3in forward recently set the single-season record for rebounding but announced she will miss the remainder of the campaign after suffering a "season ending injury."
"I fell on my hand when I got the and-1, when I fell back [and] fell on my hand, and it is a small crack in my bone," Reese posted to her TikTok account.
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"Basically, the doctors told me that I could either not get surgery or have surgery. The risk of not having surgery -- I could literally have arthritis at 22 years old. That wasn't an option. The bone could literally crack and completely shatter. Right now, it's like a hairline. ... They're going to put a small screw in it. And I wasn't going for it getting any bigger."
However, it also shows that for every Dunne and Reese, there are others who struggle to attract the big deals like Alia Armstrong, who is one of the top young track athletes in the world.
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