The recently released Forbes 2024 '30 Under 30' list is littered with female pioneers across various sports and industries. Yet, the list's two youngest members both attend the same school.
Current LSU Tigers Olivia Dunne (21 years old) and Angel Reese (21 years old) both appeared on the 2024 Forbes '30 Under 30' list — which recognizes some of the most successful millennial and Gen Z trailblazers across a wide range of industries — under the 'Sports' category.
Each of these superstar student athletes' inclusion on the Forbes list is a direct result of how they've been able to make a fortune off the NCAA's NIL policy. Dunne and Reese alike have utilized their impressive social media followings and knack for online virality to secure various brand deals — including ones with Vuori, American Eagle, and Motorola for Dunne, and Coach, Reebok, and PepsiCo's Starry for Reese — while raking in millions of dollars in the process (Forbes estimates that Dunne has made $2.3 million over the 12 months, while Reese has been valued at $1.7 million.)
It seems to be sheer coincidence that Dunne and Reese — the NCAA's two NIL queens — both attend LSU. However, considering that Dunne started 'The Livvy Fund' last summer — a fund to help other LSU female athletes secure their own NIL deals — their shared school seems destined to become a breeding ground for lucrative female student athlete opportunities in the coming years.
In addition to Dunne and Reese, some other female athletes gracing the Forbes '30 Under 30' list are Sophia Smith (the 23 year old future of the US Women's National Soccer Team), Napheesa Collier (27 year old star forward for the Minnesota Lynx), Jessica Pegula (29 year old tennis player), Kate Douglass (22 year old Team USA swimmer), Sha'Carri Richardson (23 year old Team USA sprinter), Diana Flores (26 year old flag football quarterback), and Maddie Musselman (25 year old Team USA water polo player).
In fact, the nine female athletes on the Forbes list greatly outnumbered their male counterparts. There were only four male athlete additions to the Forbes '30 Under 30' list: NFL players Lamar Jackson and Austin Ekeler, NBA player Kyle Kuzma, and professional skateboarder Tyshawn Jones.
While many other sub-30 year old athletes (both male and female) likely could have made the list, it's great to see this group getting their well-deserved shine. Considering that both Olivia Dunne and Angel Reese are merely 21 years old and appear to have the entire world in the palms of their hands, perhaps we'll see them on more Forbes lists in the future.
