The Hottest Female Athletes Are Landing Lucrative Deals, Even If They're Not The Best Players

Haley and Hanna Cavinder, also known as the Cavinder Twins, have become a sensation on social media platforms. The Miami-based sisters – former college basketball players – amassed a large following of 6.4 million across social media accounts, with TikTok being their main stage. Thanks to their bombshell look, entertaining personalities, and fit physiques, they've secured lucrative endorsement deals, accumulating over $2 million in earnings as of early 2023. They've forged impressive agreements with brands like Betr, Caktus AI, Dr. Pepper, and LifeWallet.

If you're not into sports, let me brief you on the National Collegiate Athletic Association first. The NCAA is membership-driven, governing college athletes across three divisions. It now consists of 1,098 colleges and universities, and it's existed for over a century. It was first created to protect student-athletes from harmful and exploitative practice that was more common then. Before the athlete-to-influencer movement, student-athletes could generate income for schools. In 2019, the top schools earned about $16 billion in ticket sales, licensing, and more from athletes – who made nothing, according to The Free Press.

Going back to the Cavinders, the twins' rise to influencer fame has been described as the "blueprint" for other college athletes to capitalize on the multibillion-dollar industry. This market results from a Supreme Court ruling in 2021 that brought about the NCAA to enable student-athletes to profit off their "name, image, and likeness" (NIL). However, the student-athletes that are making the most money from this aren't the MVPs, as you would think. Instead, it's the most attractive athletes.

The Cavinder Twins may be eye candy, but they weren't the best players for the Division University of Miami. As stated by writer Ethan Strauss, Keishana Washington at Drexel University and Caitlin Clark from the University of Iowa scored much higher at nearly 30 points per game, while Haley Cavinder scored slightly over 12. Meanwhile, her sister scored under 4 points. "They were good, but not WNDBA good," Strauss adds.

To summarize, the NCAA has a "hot girl privilege" problem. Instead of the best athletes generating the most income, it's those who seem better at TikToking. Sports historian Louis Moore touches on this issue: "If you look at the NIL girls, the first ones who were getting deals were the blonde girls,” he says. Indeed, look at the Cavinders' social media accounts; you'll find them in bikinis and their tightest workout gear. In any case, these findings aren't surprising – the issue of gender disparities and biases in the sports world has always been known. Female athletes face difficulties getting deals compared to their male counterparts. This could explain why they've resorted to making more provocative content.

While some argue that the newfound opportunities primarily favor women with "attractive" traits, the Cavinder Twins state they're for the empowerment of all women in a male-dominated world. "Obviously, everyone brings something different to the table. I think that all women should be empowered in a male-dominant world, especially minorities,” says Haley. Still, is it fair to the other female players that are much better on the court?

In my opinion, it is unfair. Victoria Jackson, a former runner, told Strauss that everyone is aware that "sexiness and attractiveness" are key to scoring NIL deals, and that it's "unfair." This issue brings her back to her running days. "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 says.

But the blame shouldn't be placed on the twins or other female student-athletes generating income (like Livvy Dunne, for example). Let's remember who the paying customers are: men. It takes two to tango. The problem is that many guys are relying on dopamine hits from sexual material, and so they actively endorse provocative women who conform to male fantasies. Strauss describes this phenomenon very well, writing, "And then there’s the way things really are, a world in which most people who watch sports are dudes with paunches and six-packs of beer. They appreciate girls who can shoot three-pointers, but really, they like girls in bikinis making mindless videos—OnlyFans with a dollop of 'wellness.'"

I'm not denying the NCAA has an issue with inequality. I'm saying that this can be solved if that same audience chooses to champion talent and skill – but let's be honest, that likely won't be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, though, let's not put all of the blame on select female athletes for having "hot girl privilege."

Evie deserves to be heard. Support our cause and help women reclaim their femininity by subscribing today.