ARLINGTON, Texas — Nobody should equate the fame of Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes (above, left) and his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne (above, right), with the sports industry’s other major celebrity couple, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, the biggest pop star on the planet.
Still, MLB is now enjoying a hefty dose of real celebrity buzz that’s generally been elusive for the league, and it comes from a pair who is fundamentally reshaping the business of sports—almost in real time.
In just two months since being called up to the majors, Skenes has dominated the league, been named as the National League’s starting pitcher in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, and is a centerpiece of MLB’s growing push to promote its young stars in new and more impactful ways.
Dunne, meanwhile, is a social media force with a following of more than 13 million and remains a trailblazer for name, image, and likeness rights for college athletes. She recently announced she will return to LSU for a fifth year of eligibility, made possible by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has an estimated NIL valuation of $3.9 million, second among college athletes behind Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Helping boost that total is a growing set of deals with brands such as Vuori, Forever 21, and American Eagle, among many others.
MLB has had several other celebrity couples in recent years, perhaps most notably Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, model and actress Kate Upton. But both of those figures were well into their respective careers before meeting, while Skenes and Dunne are potentially just at the outset of their professional and cultural impacts.
The league, meanwhile, is happily leaning into the broad popularity of Skenes and Dunne. She also appeared with Skenes on Tuesday afternoon at MLB’s All-Star Red Carpet Show that precedes the game, garnering just as much attention as the star pitcher.
“My brain can’t even process how hard he throws,” Dunne said on the MLB Network about Skenes. “It is incredible and such a joy to watch. He’s a great baseball player, but an even better person.”
Serious Exposure
Tuesday night, Skenes threw just one inning, part of a preplanned strategy to get as many players into the All-Star Game as possible, while at the same time giving the rookie a significant platform.
“When I got the chance to make a decision like this, it was a no-brainer,” said Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks manager and leading the NL team, of starting Skenes. “I wanted the world to get a chance to see him.”
Skenes did not surrender a hit in his brief appearance, allowing only a walk to the Yankees’ Juan Soto. Fox Sports’ broadcast of the game did feature Dunne during the inning and cut again to her as Skenes finished the inning.
