Could Promotion-Relegation work in College Football?
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, the highest-paid female NCAA athlete, has partnered with NIL collective Bayou Traditions to launch The Livvy Fund dedicated to helping her fellow LSU female student-athletes secure deals for their name, image, and likeness.
Brands On3 and Accelerator Active Engey have already contributed to The Livvy Fund. A report earlier this year from Opendorse found that only 34% of NIL collectives offered compensation to women athletes. At the same time, the majority went to males, a discrepancy that led the 20-year-old Dunne to launch her new fund.
“The collectives mostly go to the men’s sports here at LSU, and I just want to fight for equal NIL opportunities,” Dunne told Sports Illustrated. “It’s very important to help educate other student-athletes here at LSU on how to be a savvy businesswoman and how to partner with brands.
Dunne is entering her senior year at LSU and has inked NIL deals with brands such as EA Sports, Body Armour, Caktus AI, and Motorola. She has more than 15 million social media followers and has a $3.5 million On3 NIL Valuation, ranking second among all student-athletes behind Bronny James. Dunne recently revealed that a brand had paid her more than $500,000 for a single sponsored social media post.
The website for Bayou Traditions, an LSU NIL collective, allows viewers to donate to The Livvy Fund. LSU has become a NIL powerhouse, with basketball players Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, and Hailey Van Lith ranking among the highest-paid women college athletes.
