Olivia Dunne

Angel Reese Says She Can No Longer Attend Classes In Person

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In an interview with Teen Vogue, LSU basketball superstar Angel Reese spoke on how her newfound fame is impacting her education. According to Reese, her celebrity status means that is no longer safe or practical for her to attend classes in person. Instead, she has been relegated to attending remotely or taking purely online classes. “I didn’t think I was going to be on Shade Room every time I post something. I don’t feel like I’m a celebrity, but I think a lot of people look at me as a celebrity now because of the impact I’ve had on not just women’s basketball, but sports in general, and Black women. Things have changed for me.”

However, Reese lamented the change to her schedule, stating that “School’s first, basketball’s next.” Despite this, she also confirmed that her intention was to play in the WNBA. Reese will be eligible for the 2024 Draft and is widely considered to be the #2 pick behind Caitlin Clark. But all this is in service of her family. “My mom is my rock,” Reese added. “Everything I do is just for her and my brother.”

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College Sports Fame Impacting Reese And Others

Angel Reese
BALTIMORE, MD – JULY 18: LSU basketball star Angel Reese waves to the fans before throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 18, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Reese is not the only LSU athlete who has been forced away from physically attending class. Gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne also recently revealed that she can no longer attend her classes in person. According to a July interview with Elle, Dunne cited “safety reasons” as why she can no longer attend in person. “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. Rowdy fans and misogynist trolls make it 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.

College athletes find themselves in a spotlight never before seen. Social media can turn them into a figure watched by millions. Meanwhile, the ability to now earn money in college through NIL deals now also makes them publicly seen brand figures. However, you can’t help but feel for these athletes as their fame and commitments reduces the scope of the “college” aspect of being a “college athlete”.

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Rob Gronkowski Takes Drip King Crown With Cease & Desist For Baby Gronk

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“Is Baby Gronk the new Drip King, or is he being rizzed up by Livvy?” is a phrase that took the internet by storm in early June. Baby Gronk is a 10-year-old social media star whose football exploits are doing big numbers for him and his family. Earlier this year, he visited LSU, where he linked up with Tigers gymnast and social media influencer Olivia Dunne. This led a lacrosse player at UMass-Lowell to ask whether Baby Gronk was the new Drip King (a title held by a lacrosse player at UMass) or whether Dunne had merely rizzed up Baby Gronk to secure his commitment to LSU.

Baby Gronk, or more accurately, his father/manager, took the viral attention in stride. Baby Gronk declared himself the new Drip King and even challenged fellow social media phenom Baby Diggs to a 1-on-1 battle. The entire situation is very bizarre and has undertones of the Todd Marinovich debacle from the late 80s. However, a new figure has emerged to add more fuel to the fire.

Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL in 2022, finishing his career as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Playing his entire career alongside Tom Brady in both New England and Tampa, Gronk is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, he has now entered the story with a cease and desist for the social media star.

Rob Gronkowski Seeks To Shut Down Baby Gronk Dad

The whole thing would have likely flown under the radar if not for Baby Gronk’s father. Appearing on Barstool Sports‘ Tight End University, Gronk vented about the annoyance that was Jake San Miguel, aka Baby Gronk Dad. “Four weeks ago, my brother told me, ‘Yo, have you seen Baby Gronk?’ ‘Did I see him? ‘ I go. ‘His dad hit me up 500 times already.’ He goes, ‘Don’t do anything.’ The dad is so annoying. And this was like five, six weeks ago. And then all of a sudden, two weeks later, it’s coming out everywhere. My brother died laughing,” Gronk said.

This has led Gronk to consider issuing a cease and desist to Miguel. This order would likely seek to prevent Miguel from marketing his son as “Baby Gronk” going forward. “We’re gonna cease and desist Baby Gronk’s dad,” the ex-pro said on the Barstool show. Well, the meme was fun while it lasted. However, maybe it is for the best that the Baby Gronk business is curtailed.

As mentioned, the whole situation reminded a lot of people of Todd Marinovich, a player who went the 80s version of viral for being essentially bred for football by his dad. Similarly, Chris Long, the long-time Rams defensive end, expressed concern for the social media phenom on his podcast. “I have no problem with profiting off the internet, this is what we’re all doing,” Long said on his podcast Green Light. “But the difference is we’re not using a 10-year-old kid to do it. You gotta be concerned about the toll this is gonna take on Baby Gronk when he’s older.” Long has been very open about the pressure he faced growing up from his own father, Hall of Famer Howard Long.

Olivia Dunne Steals Headlines At MCWS

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne)

But what are the other figures of the viral story up to? Well, Olivia Dunne continues to grab headlines wherever she goes. Most recently, that was Omaha, Nebraska for the Men’s College World Series. Amid the nearly 70,000 Jello shots consumed by LSU fans during the event, Dunne was out and about at final NCAA championship of the season.

Dunne attended several games during the event, including LSU wins against Wake Forest and Florida. Every time Dunne posted up at Charles Schwab Field, large swathes of the crowd would gravitate toward her. One has to imagine that the charm quickly wore off after the number of people “shooting their shot” hit double digits.

After LSU took home their seventh MCWS title, it was off to Tennessee for Dunne. She posted up at the Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR CUP Series Ally 400 race. Furthermore, her VIP pass earned her a tour of Chase Eliot’s pit and car. Eliot, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, currently sits in 25th in the NASCAR standings.

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LSU Gymnast To Feature On SI Swimsuit Issue Cover

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Olivia Dunne is one of the hottest commodities in college athletics at the moment. She has shone a new light on the traditionally overlooked collegiate gymnastics circuit. That is thanks to her good looks, undeniable talent, and millions of followers on social media. Dunne has 7 million TikTok followers and 3 million Instagram followers.

However, her fame has been an issue for LSU at times. 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 essay-writing AI tool. Despite these hiccups, Dunne’s star continues to shine and she is about to take her biggest step yet.

Dunne To Feature As SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Model

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition has been an annual staple since 1964. It has featured a range of models and celebrities in the prestigious role of cover model. However, athletes have had the rare honor of gracing the cover. The first athlete to do so was Ronda Rousey in 2016. The only other athletes to appear on the cover are soccer player Alex Morgan (2019) and tennis player Naomi Osaka (2021). Dunne will be the fourth athlete to star on the cover, and the first collegiate athlete to do so.

“It’s a dream come true. It’s an honor to be included because I love everything the magazine represents. It is all about supporting women from all different paths.” Dunne said. “The way that the [SI Swimsuit] brand has evolved and has become such a positive spotlight for women to tell their stories and to spread awesome messages of being strong, sexy and beautiful, I knew that was something I wanted to be part of,” she added. Swimsuit editor M.J. Day also spoke on what it meant to have Dunne on the cover.

“The refusal of some to appreciate Livvy for being more than just a pretty blonde is missing the point. The backlash she received for ‘leveraging’ her sexuality for endorsement dollars after the NIL restrictions were lifted is incorrect. We are here to celebrate this incredible young woman and encourage the world to respect and applaud Livvy and her fellow athletes for owning the blood, sweat and tears that have fueled a lifetime of achievements.”

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor M.J. Day

The 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition will debut in May.

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