Olivia Dunne is one of the most recognizable figures in college sports. The LSU gymnast has millions of followers on social media, and the gymnastic skill to make her a legitimate asset for a high-profile collegiate program. She even got herself a place in the much-vaunted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. However, her fame does not come with a steep cost. The university had to issue a crowd conduct warning due to the raucous behavior of some fans at meets. In a different vein, the school had to issue a statement on the use of chatbots and AI after Dunne did sponsored content for an AI essay-writing tool.
There was also her link to the viral "Baby Gronk" saga, when a lacrosse player/TikToker asked if Dunne had been "rizzing" the pre-teen social media sensation. Much like the Cavinder Twins, Dunne is quickly become a case studio for the new phenomenon of college athletes who essentially have a second full-time career as content creators. However, Dunne has recently revealed some of the personal setbacks that her famous has caused her.
Dunne Reveals Inability To Attend Class
According to a recent interview with Elle, Dunne is no longer able to attend class in person due to "safety reasons." “There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible. I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am," Dunne said. Harkening back to the incident at the first meet of the 2022-23 season, which Dunne did not even compete at, it's easy to see why LSU now employs private security for the gymnastics team. “I just want to coach. I don’t want to have my head on a swivel worried about if somebody is coming out of the stands," Head Coach Jay Clark told Elle.
In the same interview, Dunne also hit back at the misogynist rhetoric that also follows her around campus and online. “It’s not a girl’s responsibility how a man looks at her or how he acts, especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform. I can’t help the way I look, and I’m going to post what I feel comfortable with,” Olivia says. “It’s hard to handle at times, definitely, because I am just a 20-year-old student. I think people do forget that.”
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