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LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne starts her first-ever collegiate balance beam routine in the Tigers' season opener against Iowa State on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Dunne scored a 9.
825 in the event. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Olivia Dunne is worried about her sport of gymnastics. The fifth-year LSU senior used her enormous social media platform over the weekend to express her concerns about scoring in gymnastics this season.
Judges are facing increased scrutiny and have reacted by marking gymnasts for more deductions, making high scores like crowd-pleasing perfect 10s harder to achieve. “I am sitting here watching NCAA gymnastics and the empty seats are concerning,” Dunne posted on her X.com (formerly Twitter) account Sunday.
“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!” Through the first four weeks of this season there have been only two perfect 10s in all of women’s collegiate gymnastics.
One was by U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles of UCLA on uneven bars Jan.
18 against Maryland. The other was by Missouri’s Helen Hu on balance beam Jan. 17 against Oklahoma.
Missouri is at LSU on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. meet on the SEC Network.
By comparison, there were 19 10.0 scores during the first four weeks of the 2024 season. “This is not about LSU,” Dunne later posted, “this is about the sport.
” Dunne has competed in all four of LSU’s meets this season. Her scores have ranged from a 9.875 to a 9.
70, both on floor. She has also competed on bars and beam. Dunne has a combined 13.
7 million social media followers on TikTok, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), the most of any current college athlete. The sports website On3.com lists her current NIL valuation at $4.
2 million, most of any female college athlete and fourth-most overall behind only Texas quarterback and New Orleans native Arch Manning, Duke basketball player Connor Flagg and Miami (Florida) quarterback Carson Beck..
