For Olivia Dunne, the last few weeks remained full of events. First, count her performance in the week 4 gymnastics match against the Arkansas Razorbacks. In the contest, she put 9.70 in the floor exercise event. However, her score failed on two fronts—in the match, it couldn’t enable her LSU Gymnastics to win the away match. Nor did it confirm her position in the lineup in the next match. Well, that wasn’t all, as Livvy had a few more bittersweet memories from the last few weeks. 

On January 26, Olivia Dunne wrote a detailed X-post, taking note of several key points on the ongoing college gymnastics season. The first one came about pointing fingers at the popularity of women’s college gymnastics sports. According to her, the popularity of the sports has hit rock bottom because of the new policy taken up by the NCAA regarding the scoring and judging policies this season. Not only that, she raised her voice against the NIL compensation settlement last week. Notably, her steps in each segment have stirred the pot. But Livvy still has a few more words to throw to reveal her side. 

Olivia Dunne stands firm on the points she made previously 

On February 5, The Guardian published a report based on the interview with Olivia Dunne last week. Notably, in the interview, the 22-year-old didn’t show any reservation in bringing her side to the fore. Remember, last week, after her post on the gymnastics scoring policy made it to the public, Livvy had to face an unforeseen attack from the netizens? Her takes on the issues were called “nonsense.” The fangs of attack were bound to create issues for anyone at the receiving end. But a week later, the defending national gymnastics champion showed no sign of moving away from her previous takes. Rather, in the interaction with The Guardian, she said, “People are like, ‘I don’t understand why she’s complaining because this school is breaking records’… but it’s about keeping those people engaged and wanting more.” Hold on! She had a few more words to add to the mix. 

In her previous debate (26th January) on the mix, Livvy Dunne spoke about the financial part of women’s gymnastics in the college. “Making changes that can impact the entertainment value will affect athletes financially as well. Female sports in the NCAA have to focus on building crowd engagement to continue to get revenue support for the athletes,” she wrote in her X post. After that, the NCAA vs. House Settlement policies came on January 31st. That settlement irked Olivia more! Her question revolved around the transparency of the entire process.

Notably, the settlement speaks about compensating the athletes who had lost money in the NIL deals because of the NCAA’s previous policy. According to Livvy’s lawsuit filed last week against the settlement, the new orders might not address the revenue problems suitably. In such a situation, Olivia shared a few more notes on the revenue part active in the college gymnastics. 

In the interview with The Guardian, the New Jersey native said, “Gymnastics is at the point right now where it could be a filled arena of record-breaking attendance, but it’s still a non-revenue sport.” Her statements have a chunk of truth, as in the current NIL top-10 list, she is the only gymnast to make it. Therefore, her fight with the system is not about profiteering for herself solely. Her words in the X-post and her steps to file the lawsuit against the settlement to some extent do aim to bring changes to the entire system. Now the question is, does she have anyone to support her in that way? 

The voices stand alongside the gymnasts 

Olivia Dunne’s point of argument on the gymnastics scoring system and judging policy found a reality check from the veterans. One such came from Christina Chauvenet. The former gymnast and the present commentator in the college gymnastics matches outrightly posted on X, “This argument is wrong in so many ways but the easiest example is that in elite WAG viewership has increased since the open-ended code. It’s not the perfect 10 driving the viewership, it’s the athletes.” But Dunne received a lot of support because of her questions on the NCAA vs. House Settlement. 

The update as of now claims that there are a minimum of 18 objections filed questioning the clause of the settlement. Questions are on different matters of the settlement, and those go for factors like Title IX, unfair salary caps, and roster limits. A notable example is Kylin Hill. The former Green Bay Packers running back submitted an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and other stakeholders on the compensation issue. Therefore, this picture somewhat confirms the validation part of Olivia Dunne’s arguments. What is your take on the entire issue? Let us know in the comments down below!