Olivia Dunne urges that his supporters “be respectful” to fellow competitors
Olivia Dunne is requesting that her fans “be respectful” to other athletes during an ugly scene at Friday’s season-opening loss to Utah. The LSU gymnast, who is recognized as one of the most influential college athletes, tweeted on Sunday afternoon, “I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job.”
According to Outkick, fans did not hold back their support for the 20-year-old gymnast at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, where they displayed Dunne-centric signs despite her absence from the program. However, things took a disturbing turn when the mother of a Utah gymnast posted on social media that some supporters behaved “disrespectfully.”
I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job❤️
— Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) January 8, 2023
“As we were walking to the car, the group swarmed my daughter and her teammate. They literally said to their faces, “You are not Livvy, but you will do.” Can we get a picture? [The group] also called my daughter Livvy 2.0. “They were so rude and disrespectful,” said Jillian Hoffman’s mom, Jennifer, who added that her daughter and teammates were not “harassed, assaulted, or harmed in any way,” per Outkick.
On Friday, Josh Furlong of KSL.com Sports tweeted that “LSU had to reroute its team bus so that its players wouldn’t have to run into the throng of lads.” There were officers stationed in front to prevent their entry. Online footage of the supporters yelling “Livvy” repeatedly outside the venue has also been discovered. Samantha Peszek, a former gymnast-turned-broadcaster, posted a videotape of the scene to her social media accounts with the caption, “This is so terrifying, frightening, and cringe-worthy.” I’m ashamed for them…”
Olivia Dunne, who has millions of social media followers, tops the list of female NIL moneymakers compiled by On3 Sports in October, which values athletes based on performance, influence, and exposure and put her worth at $2.3 million.