“I’m not doing it for myself or LSU.” Behind every stance Olivia Dunne takes, there seems a larger vision- the future of women’s gymnastics. Of course, she keeps the sport over everything else. And as we’ve seen, she isn’t afraid to call a spade a spade. Did she speak up against the NCAA scoring issue? Yes. And when the NIL and the NCAA cracked a settlement that could set off revenue sharing with student-athletes, Dunne clapped back too. But we now know what was going back in her mind as she did so.

The newest $2.8B House vs NCAA settlement has been an alarming issue in the NIL space recently. Back paying athletes and a revenue-sharing model? Dunne’s not in for it. No wonder the debate has gained weight after she wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken criticizing the proposed agreement for its lack of transparency, fairness, and exclusion of athletes from the decision-making process.

But is Olivia Dunne raising this voice because her own interest and position as the highest-earning female NIL athlete is at stake? No. Because she has a larger vision in her mind this time.

As reported by The Guardian, who interviewed Olivia Dunne on February 5, she said, “That has been heavy on my mind and my heart, about keeping the sport relevant, keeping it in people’s eyes, getting the recognition that gymnastics deserves.” And that’s exactly why she’s jumped into the debate fearlessly. After all, women’s gymnastics witnessed an all-time high recently. NCAA gymnastics was televised nationally for the first time and brought in the numbers. Of course, we saw the craze and turnout during the Gold Over America Tour and Paris. Also, Olympic medalists like Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey received the fame and NIL money they deserved.

So the future of women’s gymnastics looks spotless? Well, per Dunne, it would have if this settlement didn’t spring up so many concerns. Firstly, this settlement sidelines athletes in matters that directly affect their financial interests. And how are the calculations being made on the lost NIL opportunities? That’s very hazy at the moment.

Also, there’s a $20.5 million salary cap that can be paid out to student-athletes from athletic departments, rosters, and scholarship limits. This means some might not get a spot on the team because of fixed sizes and more crammed athletic budgets.

Also, athletes who don’t receive scholarship money but still compete at the Division I level will be at a crossroads. In that case, the only options are giving up their careers or looking for transfer options. Clearly, Olivia Dunne doesn’t feel this is good for the sport in general, which has pushed her to take a stand.

Speaking to the Guardian, she even seemed worried about the sport’s longevity as she cited how gymnastics continues to be a non-revenue sport, which only seems right, as Dunne is the lone gymnast to sit on those NIL ranks. But the House vs NCAA terms seem detrimental to this progress, isn’t it?

Well, these concerns raised by Livvy are very much related to keeping the sport relevant and helping it win the recognition it deserves, which is a goal she evidently keeps striving for. But wait, there’s another piece of advice she has thrown in for the sport’s brighter future.

Olivia Dunne shares another piece of advice for gymnasts

Speaking to The Guardian, Olivia Dunne also said, “You come to college to have fun and to finally get rewarded after those hard years of the club or elite gymnastics, especially in this era of gymnasts [s] that did have to go through what they did in Texas.” What happened in Texas?

Well, Livvy was citing the incident at the Karolyi Ranch, which had seen a s—– a—- scandal that featured more than 100 gymnasts. That is something she never wishes for any gymnast to go through. Even here her mentality for the betterment of athletes and the sport comes to the top.

Not just this, per Dunne’s previous X post on January 26, when she’d spoken against the scoring, Livvy had called for, “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.” Again, this was when she took a stand for the sport’s future. Clearly, the House vs NIL deal wasn’t a one-off, she is habituated to these stands.

Well now, coming back to the case, there have been at least 18 more objections submitted regarding the $2.8 billion House vs NCAA settlement. The final decision comes in on April 7. And many, including Olivia Dunne, are hoping for relief. Do you think getting that will be possible? Let us know in the comments below!