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The lives of Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, have been a whirlwind of success in 2024, but recent developments have highlighted stark contrasts in their career trajectories. Dunne, LSU's celebrated gymnast and a social media powerhouse, finds her NIL valuation slipping amid fierce competition, while Skenes, a budding MLB star, is riding high on a fresh financial windfall.
Paul Skenes has had a year to . After debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in May, the right-handed flamethrower quickly cemented himself as one of baseball's rising stars. His stellar performance earned him the coveted Rookie of the Year award, and now his efforts are paying off-literally.
In a major financial boost, Skenes recently received $2.1 million from MLB's pre-arbitration bonus pool, part of a $50 million pot distributed to young players who've yet to reach arbitration. This bonus comes on top of his record-breaking $9.2 million g bonus from the 2023 MLB Draft and an annual base salary of $740,000. By the end of the year, Skenes' earnings are projected to exceed $10 million, a figure that places him miles ahead of his gymnast girlfriend.
Olivia Dunne's luxurious lifestyle
Despite not matching Skenes' financial momentum, Olivia Dunne has built her own empire through NCAA NIL deals. Dubbed the highest-earning female athlete in college sports, Dunne's partnerships with brands like American Eagle and Vuori have made her a household name. Her staggering 5.4 million Instagram followers and 8.1 million TikTok fans have helped her rake in over $9.2 million in NIL deals since 2021.
However, recent months have exposed cracks in Dunne's seemingly untouchable NIL dominance.
Once ranked second on the NIL valuation charts with a solid $3.9 million after LSU's NCAA championship win, Dunne now finds herself slipping. By December 3, her valuation dropped to $4.2 million, pushing her to third place behind football icons Arch Manning and Travis Hunter. The situation worsened just days later when Hunter leapfrogged her again, claiming second place with a valuation of $5.2 million, while Manning held the top spot at $5 million.
As Dunne's competitors surge forward, questions loom about her ability to reclaim her standing in the increasingly competitive NIL landscape.
While Paul Skenes is enjoying the rewards of his record-breaking rookie season, Olivia Dunne faces mounting pressure to maintain her spot as one of college sports' most marketable athletes. Their contrasting fortunes underscore the unpredictable nature of sports and business-a dynamic where success can shift as quickly as a fastball down the middle.