Before NIL, with all the rules about what you can and can’t accept, I feel like it’d be really easy to just genuinely mess up. You know what I mean?
You can’t take anything! You don’t want to risk it either because you can lose your NCAA eligibility, so it’s just not worth it. Taking a free sweatshirt or a free something, it’s not worth losing your eligibility.
How has your relationship with social media changed? Is it still fun? Did you have to make rules for yourself about reading the comments and scrolling for too long and all that stuff?
Definitely. I still find joy in it. I still love to do social media. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t like it. But I think when you’re doing something right, there’s going to be people that are trying to tear you down, and I don’t think people can wrap their head around a woman being successful in different areas, including athletics. I think that’s a hard thought for most people. Since I do social media, they like to try to degrade my athletic abilities. I think I do need to sometimes filter out those bad comments and stuff and just not look.
When you say degrade, is it like, Livvy Dunne is only on the team because she has this many Instagram followers?
Yeah. I see all kinds of crazy things. People after the national championship were rude! I don’t think most people know my full story either. I was on the national team and I’d compete for the United States. People don’t really want to listen because they obviously are just haters.
It’s so fascinating with sports. With music or movies, there’s no denying that if someone’s uncle is the producer or something, it’s easier for them to get in the door. But with sports, you still have to do it! You still have to go out there and do gymnastics. You can’t fake that.
Right, yeah. Gymnastics is one of those things where if it doesn’t look easy, then you’re not doing it right, because it’s supposed to look effortless and beautiful and seamless.
A word we hear thrown around a lot right now, especially as it pertains to famous people and their fans, is boundaries. How have you created boundaries with people on social media, but also—probably more importantly—in real life?
I think boundaries are needed, especially when you are a growing brand. My brand is me. So, I think you have to keep your circle kind of small and be with people you really trust.
I definitely do have more boundaries, and LSU does have a security guard that travels around with us to meets now. It’s better to be safe than sorry, but I usually post my location after I’ve already left where I am. I never let people know where I am in real time. You just don’t know who’s going to show up.
What do you think is the biggest misconception of NIL and college athletes being able to get paid now? I’m sure you’ve heard every comment under the sun. What’s the one that upsets you the most?
Probably that it’s ruining college athletics. Not for me and not for other women that don’t have professional leagues! Most women’s sports don’t have professional leagues, so it’s really important for girls to capitalize on their NIL while they’re still in college.
Usually it’s like an old man talking about football when they’re complaining about this, but I think it’s great for women, and I think that everyone deserves their rights to their name, image, and likeness. It’s theirs! Put yourself in a student athlete’s shoes, then you would understand. And it is life-changing. My life is so different now.
What were the big splurges that you made when you first started to see some money roll in?
The first thing I ever got that was expensive was a Canada Goose coat for my mom. But the first thing I really bought that was quite expensive was a car. I got a BMW. That was cool. Also if I see a purse I like, I’m going to get it.
I want to give you a chance to shout out someone who I found very endearing during the docuseries—your sister Julz, who runs a lot of the behind the scenes stuff.
Julz is great! She’s with me right now. She’s with me all the time. Let’s say I have a long practice, and I need something done for our brand. She’s ready. She tells me where to stand, what to say. She knows the angle I need, and she puts the video together and sends it to the brand. She is on top of everything, and she’s the brains behind the operation, truly. She’s so smart and I really admire her work ethic. She’s the CMO.
