As Olivia Dunne’s boyfriend, Paul Skenes, is gearing up for his MLB debut, the gymnast stands firmly by his side in Kentucky, Louisville. Amidst all this buzz, she found an unlikely connection to Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. What was it about?
Well, as Olivia Dunne strolled through the streets of Kentucky, she came across a poster featuring herself alongside Travis Kelce, prompting her to jest on Snapchat, “Hey, I know those people.” The poster was an advertisement for Accelerator Active Energy Drink- a brand that Dunne has proudly represented as an ambassador alongside esteemed pro athletes like Kelce, Aaron Judge, and Jalen Hurts.
“Livvy is one of the most impactful people in the lifestyle space as both an immensely popular creator and a top collegiate athlete. She has all of the intangibles we look for in a partner to join our growing roster at Accelerator,” the brand’s Chief Marketing and Customer Officer, Michael Fine, said about her in 2023. They were elated to have her on board. But what prompted her to accept their partnership? It was Travis Kelce!
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“What really attracted to me to the Accelerator at first was the loaded roster of top tier athletes that use this and drink it. I mean, Aaron Judge, Travis Kelce — they all use it and they’re obviously amazing athletes. So that’s what really attracted me to this product,” she said last year while explaining her choice. And things don’t end here.
Olivia Dunne met Travis Kelce at the 2023 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. As per the information available, both athletes connected over their common aspect- being a part of the Accelerator roster.
With age being just a part of one’s experience, Olivia Dunne had quipped to People magazine about her behemoth NIL status – “I’ve been fortunate enough to have all these different opportunities with NIL and to have experience because it could be very foreign to other athletes at the start of it.” Making the most out of her nascent age but massive repertoire of NIL experience, she also lent her credence and pedestal by granting eight significant deals to her peers and teammates, thereby promulgating LSU to even bigger star status.
However, Dunne’s partnership with Accelerator initially caused significant turbulence in gymnastics, given Kelce’s immense popularity and illustrious NFL career. Kelce’s impressive resume includes nine Pro Bowl appearances, with four first-team and three second-team honors, along with numerous record-breaking achievements. Since his NFL debut in 2013, Kelce has consistently dominated the field, holding records for most consecutive and overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end, totaling seven.
In contrast, Olivia Dunne’s rise to fame began with her TikTok debut in 2020. Despite her relatively recent emergence, Dunne has garnered attention as a college athlete, particularly in the realm of gymnastics. However, the prospect of Dunne, a budding college athlete, aligning with such a prominent figure as Kelce through the forged partnership of the Accelerator Active Energy Drink, initially seemed improbable. Kelce’s stature as a superstar posed a stark contrast to Dunne’s burgeoning career.
However, Dunne’s endorsement deal was inked just last year, marking another milestone in her career. Notably, beyond its promotional aspect, this partnership was also geared towards empowering women—a cause close to Dunne’s heart.
In July 2023, Olivia Dunne launched ‘The Livvy Fund’, aiming to empower female college athletes at LSU. Notably, Accelerator Active Energy became the first partner of The Livvy Fund. This collaboration was announced on October 24th and marked a significant step toward bridging the gap between female athletes and lucrative endorsement opportunities.
This professional connection between Dunne and Kelce led to even greener pastures when Olivia Dunne lent her solidarity to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team clinched victory over the 49ers, 25-22, and the gymnast basked in the shared glory of her connection with Kelce. Not only did Dunne doff her hat to Kelce for his impeccable performance, conversely, she also took to her Snapchat to share an image of the two in lieu of cardboard cutouts with the caption- “Accelerator. Congrats Travis!!”
What was the icing on the cake, though? The life-size cutouts were precariously perched and placed behind numerous stacking of the accelerator drinks, evocative of their collective fandom. 2023, however, posed to be a year of reckoning for the duo as they collided at a very popular event. Yes, the 2023 ESPY Awards!
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When Olivia Dunne and Travis Kelce bonded!
At the 2023 ESPY Awards, she recounted how their connection blossomed over their shared affiliation with the Accelerator roster. Reflecting on their encounter, Dunne expressed admiration for Kelce’s personality, stating, “The ESPYs were amazing, and he was awesome. We love it, we actually talked about it.”
This shared experience highlighted their mutual appreciation for their partnership with Accelerator Active Energy. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the two athletes collaborate for a commercial or campaign for the brand?
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However, just a week ago, Dunne secured yet another multimillion-dollar partnership, further solidifying her position in the industry. According to Forbes, 21-year-old Olivia Dunne recently sealed a deal with ‘Passes’. Additionally, her ongoing collaborations with renowned clothing brands like American Eagle, Forever 21, and Vuori have firmly established her as a thriving athlete deserving of recognition and comparison.
With things off to a great start for both Dunne and Kelce in their respective sports, their future on the Accelerator drinks roster also looks to be just as starry. Here’s to hoping their collaborative spirit extends to other allied brands as well. Time will tell what’s in the offing for them.