Olivia Dunne has been challenged to make a difference in the NCAA after the LSU Tigers star hit out at the college gymnastics scoring system and suggested penalty applications could cost the sport fans.
The development comes after the 22-year-old suffered a defeat to the Arkansas Razorbacks on January 27, being edged out by just 0.275 points on the night under the new evaluation method in place for this year.
Changes notably include coaches being able to submit routines for review through SCORE, although judges can eventually decide to punish the team through bar or demotion for a poor appeal.
So Dunne has now taken to social media to call out the notion that judges can punish a team for a call they disagree with, suggesting it could be more damaging to the sport than any force for good.
“I am sitting here watching NCAA gymnastics and the empty seats are concerning,” Dunne posted to X.com, formerly Twitter, on January 27. “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 slammed as two-faced
However, fans actually disagreed with Dunne this time and challenged her to do better for the growth of the sport through her platforms, of which she boasts 6.1 million followers on TikTok, five million via Instagram and over 100,000 on X.com.
Consequently, she finds herself in a rare position to push people into picking up gymnastics to grow the sport at the grassroots level and that was something she was firmly reminded of.
“I would love to know how you plan to help in this after your career is done,” one user said to Dunne. “As you said, you are in a unique position.
“A TikTok simply saying ‘Go to your local NCAA gym meet this weekend, I’ll share some of my faves’ would go a LONG way in the growth of the sport.”