Outrage after twin sensations’ $2 million earnings revealed
A pair of twins are making headlines again after there was a surprising response to their controversial recent news.
Former college basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder have earned at least $2 million since the Supreme Court forced college officials to change the controversial rule banning athletes from earning endorsement deals.
American collegiate sport has been turned on its head recently since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was forced to abandon its “Name, Image and Likeness” policy. It means student-athletes like the Cavinder twins are now able to earn money through their celebrity status since the rule change in 2021.
The revelations about the Cavinder twins’ earnings in the past 24 months has prompted critics to note that they’re cashing in on their good looks rather than their abilities on the court, The New York Post reports.
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Victoria Jackson, a former professional runner, told The Free Press news site that she thinks that the Cavinder twins are being showered with cash due to their “sexiness and attractiveness,” which is “unfair” to other women athletes who are more competent in their sports.
The twins, who recently graduated from the University of Miami, were not known for their on-court prowess.
Haley Cavinder averaged just over 12 points, five rebounds, and a little over two assists in her just-completed senior season with the Hurricanes.
Her sister, Hanna, averaged a little under four points per game in just 16 minutes of play.
But that hasn’t stopped them from raking in big bucks endorsement deals with the likes of sports gambling app Betr, sports nutrition maker Bucked Up, and soft drink brand Dr. Pepper.
The pair have become massive names in the United States, prompted by a series of viral moments and controversies during the 2023 March Madness tournament.
The twins frequently post social media images and videos showing them working out and frolicking in their swimsuits.
On Instagram, they have 261,000 followers — which pales in comparison to the 4.5 million TikTok users who watch their videos.
The top women’s college basketball players, such as Louisiana State University’s Angel Reese, who averaged 23 points during her just-completed season, earn less.
Jackson said that it was not uncommon for women who are blessed with good looks to score endorsements that are simply unavailable for those who excel in their craft but are deemed less attractive by the wider public.
“You would notice that somebody would get a big deal when she was middling, at best, and happened to be good-looking, and a woman who was making Olympic teams and winning national championships was having a hard time getting shoe deals,” Jackson told The Free Press.
On the men’s side, athletes such as USC quarterback Caleb Williams and University of Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter are rewarded for their on-field stardom.
Williams has reportedly pocketed $2.6 million from NIL deals while Hunter is said to have netted $1.6 million.
“If you look at the NIL girls, the first ones who were getting deals were the blonde girls,” sports historian Louis Moore told The Free Press, citing the Cavinder twins for their “very blonde, girl-next-door looks.”
The twins acknowledge that they’re in a position of “privilege.”
“Obviously, everyone brings something different to the table. I think that all women should be empowered in a male-dominant world, especially minorities,” Haley Cavinder told the news site.
“I mean, obviously, yes, this is a touchy subject, but I think that we are privileged, in a way,” Hanna Cavinder said.
“Obviously, we don’t deal with the same things that other women deal with or other people deal with, and that’s just how our world is, and it’s awful.”
The pair admitted last year their notoriety has made them a target for trash talkers.
“A lot of people like to let us know about it,” Haley said of their social-media popularity. “But we’ll see them on the court.”
“People forget that before COVID happened, and before we blew up on TikTok, we were just basketball players trying to get a college scholarship together and achieve our goals,” she continued. “Basketball has always been the main thing.”
The lawyers who beat the NCAA in the Supreme Court have filed a new class-action antitrust lawsuit against the association and the five wealthiest college sports conferences that seeks millions of dollars in damages for thousands of athletes.
The case was filed Tuesday — the day after the NCAA Tournament concluded — in the Northern District of California, where several other landmark cases involving college sports have been heard.
The plaintiffs are listed as former Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, who is currently with the Carolina Panthers, and former Auburn track athlete Keira McCarrell, but the lawsuit seeks triple damages for all current and former Division I athletes as far back as 2018.
— This story originally appeared on nypost.com and has been republished with permission
America loses it as Trump streaker ’jailed’
An X-rated entertainer waving a divisive sign has been identified as the woman behind an NFL stadium stunt that has gone viral.
World rocked as surfer impaled by swordfish
A popular surfing figure has died at the age of 36 after a freak incident where she was fatally impaled by a swordfish.
Olympic legend given only years to live
A British Olympic champion has opened up on the heartbreaking diagnosis and the short time frame doctors have given him to live.