UCLA Olympic Gymnast Leading the Charge for Women’s Sports in NIL Earnings

Gold medalist Jordan Chiles has made a huge impact for women's sports as she nears her return.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins are becoming a big part of helping women break through when it comes to earning with Name, Image, and Likeness. 

Only 12 schools publicly disclose the NIL earnings and deals of their athletes categorized by sport and gender in college athletics. Among those, men have dominated the sector. According to the Washington Post, men have earned $92 million compared to the $19 million earned by women. One of the schools, Texas A&M, reported that 98 percent of all its NIL deals that were disclosed went to men’s sports. 

However, some of the schools are doing their best to limit the disparity. Before taking a break from school to focus on her training for the 2024 Paris Olympics, star gymnast Jordan Chiles was one of the top NIL earners among women in 2023. Her high earnings helped women match the men at UCLA. 

According to the University, the UCLA women were only $200k shy of the men’s earning total of $3.4 million after the 2023 NCAA season. With Chiles announcing she will return to the Bruins for 2025, you have to expect that number to grow close to even once more. 

The post also stated that Chiles was involved in the seven largest deals that went toward UCLA gymnastics during that span. Her return after earning the team all-around gold in Paris will only boost the demand for her sponsorships and marketing opportunities this upcoming season. 

UCLA is joined by the LSU Tigers as the only other school that is remotely close when it comes to NIL earnings among genders. Another gymnast, Oliva Dunne, has alone earned approximately $9.5 million in NIL deals. As she plans to return for her fifth season, she will look to move the needle even closer than it was before. According to the University, LSU women athletes earned $10.2 million, only trailing the men by 10 percent of their $12 million earnings.

Although there are still significant gaps to close before the NIL pay disparity between men's and women's sports no longer exists, the Olympian and the University are doing what they can to break the mold. 

Women athletes like Chiles and Dunne have shown a brief glimpse into the future of women's sports as popularity continues to grow in more than just gymnastics.