With SI Swimsuit’s Net Worth Series: Empowering Equal Pay, our goal is to shine a light on incredible athletes while examining income disparities and promoting equal pay across industries.
Two-time SI Swimsuit model Olivia Dunne, who made her debut in Puerto Rico last year, has taken the world by storm over the past couple of years. The fifth-year LSU gymnast began to make headlines in late 2022, when she revealed her financial stability and success comes from social media, thanks to the NCAA’s NIL rules that allow university students involved in sports to sign deals and bring in personal endorsem*nt money.
Today, the 21-year-old is changing the game for fellow female athletes and bringing much-deserved attention to not only gymnastics but all college sports.
Like SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day said of the ’24 rookie, who traveled to Portugal with photographer Ben Watts for her sophom*ore brand feature, “The decision to invite Livvy back to appear in the 2024 issue as a rookie was an easy one. Last year, we featured Livvy the D1 athlete, highlighting her accolades as an all-academic and an all star on the rise. This year, we are featuring Livvy as a well-established, industrious entrepreneur who is here to stay, who continues to break barriers, continues to work hard and forge an unforgettable path for herself and future generations of female athletes. Like all the incredible women that represent SI Swimsuit, Livvy stands out in her own unique and critical way. We are so incredibly proud of what she continues to achieve.”
The New Jersey native first stepped into a gymnasium at the age of 3, after deciding she really wanted to wear a sparkly pink leotard, and never looked back. Dunne quickly began formally training at ENA Gymnastics and as a “daredevil” child “full of energy” who was constantly hanging from bars and climbing on furniture. It was clear she had strong talent for the sport. She made her elite debut at the 2014 American Classic, where she finished 28th in the all-around, and her national championships debut the following year, placing 25th in the all around.
At the age of 14, she joined the U.S. national team, the “biggest honor,” but also the most difficult year of her life. After receiving a full-ride scholarship to LSU, Dunne decided that pursuing gymnastics at the college level while also getting a university experience was what was best for her.
“Elite gymnastics [was] definitely a sacrifice. My childhood was full of gymnastics. The atmosphere in the gym was very intense. Our collective goal was just to make the Olympics. That was my dream growing up,” she shared. “Stepping away from elite gymnastics was very difficult. I just decided why not be healthy, go to school and enjoy college and gymnastics.”
Olivia Dunne college career
This fall, Dunne entered her fifth and final year at LSU. She broke the news on social media in early July, with a powerful, moving video recapping the past four years, and cleverly stating how she was “not Dunne yet.”
She finished her freshman season with an average bars score of 9.844, scoring a 9.90 at the NCAA Championships. Dunne was also selected as a WCGA Academic All-American and named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll. In her sophom*ore season, she set a career-high on floor with a 9.900 routine. During her junior year, Dunne recorded a season high of 9.850 on bars at the SEC Championships.
She was honored with the Coaches Award in her fourth season, and joined her team in securing LSU’s first-ever NCAA women’s gymnastics championship title.
Dunne revealed in an interview with The New York Times that she has a seven-figure salary. She is the highest-paid female college athlete in the country, and the only woman ranked in the top-10 most profitable.
Olivia Dunne endorsem*nt deals and brand partners
Dunne, who makes the majority of her money from brand deals and sponsorships, is an ambassador for Vuori, and stars in numerous campaigns for the clothing brand. She‘s also a partner with Accelerator Active Energy, Nautica, Purina Pro Plan pet food and American Eagle Outfitters. She was named No. 48 on Forbes’s 2023 Top Creators list with an earnings score of $2.3 million.
On3 estimates Dunne‘s NIL evaluation at around $2.3 million. In June 2023, while speaking on the Full Send Podcast, she revealed that the most she had ever been paid for a sponsored post was more than $500,000.
Olivia Dunne social media
As of September 2024, the New Jersey native has a total of 5.3 million Instagram followers and 8.1 million on TikTok. Her content ranges from gymnastics routines and training insights to lifestyle and fashion posts, attracting a diverse following. Dunne’s relatability as a college student and ability to connect with her audience has made her the ideal partner for a number of brands looking to reach a young demographic of women or girls in sports.
Industry standards suggest that influencers with over a million followers can earn anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 per post. According to the TikTok calculator, Dunne makes approximately $12,866 per video, and according to the Instagram Money Calculator, with her 5.37 million, 8.56% engagement rate and an average of 458,000 likes per post, Dunne can charge anywhere from $49,600 to $67,100 for a post, $24,800 to $33,600 for a story and $64,000 to $87,000 for a sponsored Instagram reel.
Dunne, who stars in new Amazon Prime Video documentary The Money Game, stands out among NIL gymnasts, both in terms of earnings and influence. She is listed as the second-highest paid college athlete in the country at an annual income of $3.9 million, with only Shedeur Sanders above her at $5.1 million, though his social media following is far behind. Compared to fellow male gymnasts, Dunne is still far ahead.
Danell Leyva, a prominent American male gymnast has an estimated net worth of around $3 million, reflecting his Olympic and World Championship competition success and medals, as well as endorsem*nts. Former NCAA gymnast Sam Mikulak, who competed for the University of Michigan, has a net worth estimated at around $2 million.
