With a $4M NIL (name, image, and likeness) valuation, Olivia Dunne sits in the second position in the list of frontrunners among the NCAA athletes. From the table topper Shedeur Sanders, she is still $1.1 million away. The aforementioned list presented by On3 shows all the numbers regarding the top 10 names of the current NIL holders. But what it fails to show is Olivia Dunne trending on the list despite spending her off-season right now. Furthermore, she bagged a phenomenal deal from Pass, right after the national gymnastics championship. So the market experts are noticing a better outcome in the way, falling for her. Ultimately, it will be a game-changing achievement in the NCAA realm as well. But things were starkly different when the NIL made its way into college sports for the first time. 

In the docu-series, The Money Game (LSU), season one, that situation has been described. Additionally, Olivia Dunne has given her take on the issue. Let’s dive into that subject. 

Olivia Dunne does not mince her words for the hard-nosed individuals 

On July 1, 2021, endorsements began pouring in as the NCAA’s board of directors approved the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policy. The new rules took effect, and athletes and many colleges welcomed these changes with open arms. However, some college sports experts and veterans criticized the NIL as a potential setback. The main reason for such criticism stemmed from the various state laws, as there was no consensus among state legislatures to establish a unified law. Despite repeated calls from the NCAA, Congress has yet to implement a federal law to streamline the NIL process.

So the raconteurs argued about the colleges luring the athletes into their folds by promising a better payout while using their name, images, and likeness. It could create unhealthy competition among the stakeholders. However, standing in 2024, things are on a different route now. That made Olivia Dunne feel secure about the current deals and hit back at the critics of NIL by saying, “Don’t be a hater.” She didn’t target any particular individual, though. But Livvy went on to be more penetrative. 

In the episode, The Wild West, she further added, “There’s going to be salty people.” Subsequently, the screen shows Doug Gottlieb in his famed podcast, The Doug Gottlieb Show. The raconteur once termed NIL, “BS”. Even Charles Berkley came all guns blazing at the NIL deals. The former basketball great turned television analyst thought the deals were riskier than the “Wild West.” Trevor Kelce couldn’t argue with CB on this matter. But the athletes at the center point think otherwise. They support Olivia Dunne on the matter. 

The NIL deals come out to be hot cake for everyone concerned 

The same episode of The Money Game displays Angel Reese and Jayden Daniels who made their names in the NIL deals once. Among them, Daniels tried to side himself from the argument made by the critics at first. But with a chuckle on his face, the former LSU QB said, “Man, they trippin’”. Reese had almost a similar kind of reply, saved for the critics. 

Currently playing in the WNBA, Angel Reese has been shown in the series while she was in the LSU Tigers, playing as a forward. The basketball icon is the one who posed with Olivia Dunne for the cover page of Sports Illustrated in the past. However, amplifying Dunne’s voice, she said, “Lotta people think that NIL has become bigger than the sport” with an eerie feeling. Yet, the critics’ argument has found a solution through the NCAA’s proposal announced in May this year. 

The proposal has lifted the restrictions on colleges compensating their athletes for using their NIL. Additionally, the NCAA is prepared to pay $2.8 billion to current and former athletes who faced unfair treatment under the previous NIL rules. However, a unified law for NIL has yet to be established, and a common solution remains elusive. Meanwhile, the NCAA has mandated that colleges strictly adhere to its regulations on the matter. Moving forward, we can only hope for a more favorable outcome.