All Olivia Dunne wanted was to catch a flight. But what she experienced was a nightmare. The gymnast, influencer, and Sports Illustrated cover star tearfully shared on TikTok how she was harassed by a group of men waiting with piles of memorabilia for her to sign.
“They know the time, the place, the airport-everything!” Dunne said, visibly shaken. These weren’t ordinary fans. They were at least ten middle-aged men who follow her relentlessly, even during brief layovers in cities like Omaha. According to Dunne, they shout at her, chase her through terminals, and scare the people around her.
Not an isolated case: other athletes speak out
Dunne isn’t alone. Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas has also shared similar encounters, noting how frightening it is that these people somehow obtain private flight details.
As concern grows across the sports world, David Samson, former president of the Miami Marlins, offers an insider perspective on the autograph business and its shady underbelly.
David Samson exposes the dark side of autograph culture
On his podcast Nothing Personal, Samson held nothing back. He called out what he sees as the real dirty trick: turning athletes into vending machines for profit. “In Livvy Dunne’s case, I’d say it’s 80% profit, 20% love for the game,” he said bluntly.
He recalled how, during his time in MLB, players would sign thousands of items privately in exchange for paid deals. But they refused to sign in public once it turned into harassment masked as fandom. “Those aren’t fans anymore-they’re organized resellers,” Samson added.
Fandom or exploitation? A line too often crossed
Samson pointed out that many celebrities today rise to fame through social media, without proper training or protection. “Monetization has created a toxic environment,” he said. He also admitted that he used to get frustrated when players refused to sign-but not anymore.
“I just want people to have empathy and understand,” he said. And he left listeners with a powerful thought: “If we can no longer tell the difference between admiration and exploitation, maybe it’s not just the autograph business that’s broken-maybe the fans are, too.”
Paul Skenes shines on the mound, but the Pirates stay silent
Meanwhile, Paul Skenes-Dunne’s boyfriend-is also facing his own struggles. Despite another stellar performance Tuesday against the Houston Astros, his team once again failed to back him up. The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 3-0, suffering their 10th shutout of the season, the most by any MLB team so far.
Skenes pitched seven strong innings and allowed just one run, lowering his ERA to an impressive 2.05. Still, he took his sixth loss of the year (now 4-6), thanks to a solo homer by Christian Walker that broke the scoreless tie.
Bad luck and frustration: the other side of baseball
“It’s just one of those things where there’s not much you can do,” Skenes said after the game. “They got a hit. That was enough today. I’ll have to rewatch the game-I didn’t see much of our offense-but we’ll look at it and see what we’ve got tomorrow.”
His talent is undeniable, but the lack of offensive support is making his MLB journey far more challenging. Between public harassment off the field and bad luck on it, the Skenes-Dunne duo is weathering a heavy media and emotional storm.
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