Sports

Souhan: Jordan Thompson uses platform built by volleyball to speak out

The former Edina High standout and U.S. Olympian hopes to raise awareness of the effects of ICE’s presence in Minnesota.

By Jim Souhan

The Minnesota Star Tribune

February 2, 2026 at 6:21PM

Jordan Thompson, middle, prepares for a serve at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Thompson, a former Edina High standout, is using her platform to raise awareness of the effects of ICE's presence in Minnesota. (Frank Augstein/The Associated Press)

Jordan Thompson grew up in Minneapolis and attended Edina High.

The niece of Vikings great Chris Doleman, she starred in volleyball at the University of Cincinnati. During the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, she helped the U.S. win its first gold medal in women’s volleyball.

When ICE and federal agents showed up in force in Minnesota, Thompson, followed by volleyball fans around the globe, spoke up.

She told Athletes Unlimited: “For the people who are in the States illegally, I don’t really care. For me, I’m just thinking, you wanted to come here and make a better life for yourself and your family. I applaud you, because you’re being brave and working harder than probably a lot of people who were born here. And to punish people for coming to a country when this whole country was built off of slaves and immigrants — it feels really hypocritical. … I was really fed up, because there’s a lot of misinformation … and people’s voices are being silenced. And I felt I have a platform and I need to use it."

You learn a lot about people in times like these.

Minnesotan Paige Bueckers spoke out against the violence brought to our streets by ICE and its ilk. International superstar Bruce Springsteen and singer/songwriter/activist Tom Morello flew to Minneapolis for a benefit concert. Minnesota CEOs produced a statement that can’t even qualify as a word salad because it contained nothing nourishing. Just stale croutons.

Thompson is playing for the Houston franchise in the second season of League One Volleyball (LOVB). The opposite hitter spoke with me from Houston the other day about her activism and the decision to use her voice in a way that was guaranteed to elicit a nasty reaction.

“I don’t think it was difficult,” she said. “There have been times in the past where I felt I wanted to speak up on things that were going on in different places in the world, things that were really difficult to see. Sometimes I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m not educated enough, or maybe I don’t know all of the history and I don’t want to misspeak or say something wrong.’

“Then I see something happen in the States, the place I grew up, and I don’t care if I come off as too angry. … I hope people know my heart and the kind of human I am. My motto for life is: I want to love others well. I want to love people well, and I want to be able to give the gift that others have given me — of encouragement and love and care. I want to pass that on."

Athletes aren’t required to be social justice advocates or to risk angering a portion of their fan base. That’s why it’s so special when an athlete stands up for what is right.

Thompson heard of a relative whose business was targeted by ICE and of children who are U.S. citizens having to carry documents to prove their citizenship, and she reacted.

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“When I see so much misinformation, mistreatment of human beings, people trying to minimize lives or dehumanize people, it’s so infuriating to me,” she said. “I was just like, ‘I can’t be silent about this.’ It hurts my soul to the core. It’s disgusting.

“I have a platform. There may be people who don’t see what’s happening in the news, or who believe disinformation, and I have people following me from all around the world, and it’s important that we keep raising awareness of what’s happening, because it’s really scary.”

Like a lot of elite women athletes, Thompson has competed all over the world. Like a lot of Minnesotans, she appreciated her upbringing.

“I remember biking around the lakes all the time, taking lake drives, going to Sebastian Joe’s for ice cream,” she said. “I felt like it was a really wholesome childhood. I was outside so much, and I think it’s sad that today’s kids don’t spend as much time outside. That was my favorite thing in Minnesota.”

Going outside in Minneapolis these days carries inherent risk, even for children.

“One of the goals of this administration is to silence people, to scare and intimidate them,” Thompson said. “That’s repulsive and disgusting. So, I’m even more empowered to use my voice and continue to spread awareness.”