LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne is the highest-earning athlete in women's college sports, bringing in $2 Million per year. She has massive followings on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms. Her endorsement deals include brands like EA Games, GrubHub, American Eagle, and TooFaced cosmetics. This was all made possible by a rule change last year that allowed college athletes to make money off their names and images. There's been a lot of debate around the change, but it's opened up huge opportunities for athletes whose sports don't lead to post-college riches in the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.
According to Breitbart, one of the top coaches in women's college sports is speaking out about all of this being detrimental to women's athletics.
Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer takes issue with racy photos on social media being the thing that brings in the money, and sees the situation as regressive for female athletes. She told the New York Times the following:
"I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back."
"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."
20-year-old Dunne started gymnastics at the age of three and says the rule change has always been a dream of hers. She spoke to the New York Post about the controversy:
"I think it’s great for female student-athletes in gymnastics like myself because there is really no professional league after college, so we can capitalize on our opportunities right now. It’s such a special thing. It’s like I’m part of history, all of us student-athletes are.”
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