sport news Social media influencers: Olivia Dunne, the Cavinder twins, Paige Spiranac and ... trends now

Sports stars already have significant influence. But their impact is bigger than ever before... thanks to social media.

Fans are used to Cristiano Ronaldo's topless snaps, Tyson Fury launching into whatever takes his fancy and LeBron James's frequent updates on their respective platforms - consumed by millions worldwide.

But social media influencers are a whole new level and they've garnered traction in the sporting world.

Yes, they are known within their specific sport circles but ultimately they've developed their fame through posts and the content they create and share.

Here, Dailymail.com takes a look at the social media influencers in sport as the role continues to prove more and more popular.

The glamorous American golfer leads the way in having carved out a lucrative career for herself from her social media channels.

Spiranac, 30, went down the influencing route when her efforts to play professionally for a living didn't come to fruition back in 2016 and although there's been challenges along the way, she has produced a flourishing business.

Born in Colorado, Spiranac uploads sultry pictures of herself in skimpy golf outfits and bikinis, complemented by golf trick shots to build up a fanbase of 3.7 million Instagram followers.

That is the highest number of followers within golf's social media space. That's right even more than 15-time major champion Tiger Woods.

Spiranac, in fact, gets $2,000 more than the American star, who is followed by 3.1m, from her Instagram posts.

She is worth around $3.7m, taking in roughly $12,000 per post. But the nature of the job leaves her wide open for scrutiny.

Fake copycat accounts have been set up to try to make money while she was left in tears and traumatized after being verbally attacked on the golf course over her outfit.

Sick trolls labeled her 'fat' and 'ugly' after she was crowned Maxim's sexiest woman. She said she's also received death threats.

Spiranac's Instagram page actually appears as Paige Renee. She had to delete her original Instagram profile and change her name after she was stalked by a group of girls at university, she claims.

The American bombshell's target audience is largely men and she recently shed light on the 'gross' remarks she gets when photographed with male athletes and celebrities.

She is 'so down' to play with NFL legend Tom Brady or Woods but claims 'disgusting sexual' rumors stop her participating in such events.

Spiranac's popularity earned her a podcast three years ago as she teamed up with iHeart Media with the series covering sports and sex.

She took on the special correspondent position for 'Inside Edition' at Super Bowl LVII in February and publicized a photo of her taking down a tackling dummy onto Twitter.

She added: 'How men expect me to act when they send d*** pics in the DMs.'

At just 20 years old Dunne has become a social media sensation and is viewed as one of the most influential athletes in college due to her work online.

The junior shares flirty Instagram photos as well as lip-sync videos to TikTok, creating a net worth of $2.3m.

Dunne began gymnastics at three years old - and she is now one of the top earners in collegiate sport. 

The New Jersey native, who combines gymnastics with sponsorship deals, shares her elaborate lifestyle with her more than seven million TikTok followers.

The young gymnast is among a group of female athletes raking in millions through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

College athletes were granted permission to get involved in such deals fairly recently. The move has seen a rise in female athletes posting candid and skittish shots to attract followers, which in turn improves endorsements. 

Dunne has created her wealth by posting sponsored ads on her social media pages accompanied with snaps showing off her body.

Her posts saw her link up with American Eagle Outfitters and Vuori activewear.  

Dunne's social media stardom began by publicizing her lavish life as an NCAA gymnast, collecting more than 3.8m Instagram followers and 3.5 million more on TikTok.  

Her social media ventures were initially not allowed to bring in profit because of the NCAA's strict policy about its members selling sponsorships.

That all changed in June 2021 when the organization altered its rules to allow athletes to make money from NIL deals.

Within a month Dunne inked a deal with Endeavor Talent Agency's WME Sports, and she agreed a partnership with activewear brand Vuori - which Forbes reported was worth 'mid-six figures' last year.

But could her influence change? College sports leaders asked for a federal law to bring uniform regulation to the way athletes can earn money from their fame via sponsorship and endorsement deals.

A congressional hearing to tackle 'NIL chaos' was held this week. 

Boxer or YouTuber? The question that is still asked.

The controversial YouTuber-turned boxer first appeared on the now non-existent platform Vine and he used his channel to transform from social media hit to landing punches in the boxing ring.

He started producing content in 2013, before switching to YouTube, while also starring in Disney show Bizaardvark.

Paul, 26, was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly - both misdemeanors - for looting an Arizona mall during Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020.

Just weeks later he found himself in hot water with the city of Calabasas after throwing a massive rager during the COVID-19 pandemic when California state was under stay-at-home orders. He was also quoted as calling the pandemic 'a hoax.'

His home was then raided by the FBI in August of the same year in connection with the Arizona riot. 

'I'm not afraid to admit it,' he told DailyMail TV. 'I was going down this like weird dark path that's like a Hollywood young teenage star and it wasn't good. It was going to be a dead end.'

Paul decided to go solo, leaving the TV series midway through the second season as his YouTube content attracted more and more attention. It now has more than 20 million subscribers with his music videos - he linked up with Team 10 - giving him massive exposure. One has an eye-popping 295 million views.

The 26-year-old now has 22.5m Instagram followers as he juggles his social media responsibilities with boxing fights.

He

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