Olivia Dunne Is Very Concerned About The State Of NCAA Gymnastics
Today at 08:29 PM
When Olivia Dunne posts online, it's typically about one of her business partnerships or her gymnastics career.
On Sunday night though, Dunne tried something different on X/Twitter. The LSU gymnast has spent some of her day watching her fellow college competitors, and Dunne has some concerns about the future of the sport. Mainly, she thinks the powers that be have to look at how gymnastics is judged and scored and make sure that they are emphasizing the right things to lure in new fans.
"I am sitting here watching NCAA gymnastics and the empty seats are concerning," Dunne wrote. "I care deeply about the growth in women's sports especially in the NCAA. If you want fans to enjoy the sport and increase viewership, you have to look at what makes the crowds go crazy! People understand what a perfect 10 is and want people who do things that look great to be rewarded. Too many deductions taken at a judge's discretion feels the same as watching a basketball game that's constantly interrupted with penalties or a football game with flags on every play.
"At some point it feels negative and loses the entertainment factor that draws the crowd in. The number of questions I am currently getting from fans about the scoring is significant enough for me to share this concern. I love the art and intricacy of gymnastics but let's get more eyes on the sport!"
Dunne continued, saying that the post was not about LSU in particular or even her own career.
She's focused on the athletes who will be competing in the coming years.
"This is not about LSU this is about the sport," she said. "I'm in my 5th year and I have an audience of casual fans so maybe I'm in a unique position to see what is happening with fans differently than people just looking at attendance numbers. Fans are confused. I also spend time raising money for female athletes and will always advocate for athletes. 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."
Given Dunne's platform, her word here carries some weight. It will be interesting to see if she continues to advocate for these changes down the road, particularly in forums outside of social media.
Related: Olivia Dunne Stunned In Blue Dress At MLB Awards Ceremony
