Aunts, nieces, cousins, friends, grandmothers, moms, step-moms, daughters.
Doctors, lawyers, politicians, artists, writers, mothers, students, athletes.
There are so many things that a woman can be in a world that so often feels rooted against them.
On top of that, when women are recognized in their individual fields, it’s often for the wrong reasons, and this includes media coverage in female athletics.
“It’s almost like a double-edged sword,” LSU volleyball’s fifth-year senior right side hitter Jade Demps said. “The coverage is increasing, but at the same time, people are still focusing on the wrong things.”
If that means focusing on appearances rather than skills or even on what society has deemed as “unladylike” behaviors, female athletes somehow still find themselves competing for the spotlight after proving that they have earned it time and time again.
In the name of bringing light to issues in women’s sports as well as giving LSU’s female athletes the focus that they deserve, the Reveille spoke with Demps about her career, academics and different issues that impact women’s sports.
Demps is finishing her last season in her collegiate career this year, and so far has 622 kills under her belt. As far as her defensive skills go, she has had 438 successful digs and 120 block assists.
She accomplished these numbers starting at the University of Wisconsin, where she played for head coach Kelly Sheffield until she was recruited to LSU in the fall of 2023.
“I don’t think we would have won a national championship without her,” Sheffield said about Demps’ time at Wisconsin, referring to the team’s national championship win in 2021, which was during her first collegiate season.
Demps was also on the 2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll here at LSU as an animal science major. She expressed her passion for animals and shared how she would love to continue her studies at veterinary school, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to put volleyball behind her.
With U.S. volleyball leagues continuously growing, Demps would like to play professional volleyball after graduation and then use the money from her athletic career to work with animals.
Her love for animals is one that even her mother, Keisha Demps, noticed in her at a young age, as she bought her daughter animal-based encyclopedias, which Jade occupied her time with.
“That would make my heart happy,” Demps said. “If she was able to play professionally and then go to vet school.”
She has always been a supportive mother of Demps, especially when it comes to pursuing a career in sports, given that she had the privilege to do that for herself as well.
After playing as a middle blocker for the University of Arizona, Demps continued to the women’s national volleyball team where she competed in Spain for two years, until returning to the United States, where she played in the United States Professional Volleyball League. Once she ended her professional volleyball career, she started her next one in collegiate coaching, coaching women’s volleyball for 10 years until retiring to coach club volleyball on-and-off.
Demps’ career served as one for Demps to look up to, and with such a powerful role model, Demps was able to become the best version of herself that she could be.
While Demps’ mother initially steered her away from volleyball, Demps found passion in looking back on her mother’s career.
“She purposely didn’t let me play volleyball because she didn’t want me to burn out,” Demps said.
But Demps was drawn to the sport like a magnet and has given it everything she’s had throughout her athletic career. Despite that, she still struggles with different issues that come with being a female athlete.
“People have these preconceived notions that women’s sports aren’t worth watching,” Demps said. “Like it’s just a lesser version of men’s sports.”
The competition between women and men’s sports is something that has been occurring for years and was documented in a study performed by USC and Purdue University.
Their research found that in 2021, 95% of televised sports were men’s sports.
Even as coverage increases, it might not be for the right reasons.
“People don’t look at us like we’re athletes,” she said. “They look at us like we’re women. Pretty women.”
Demps referenced how the media has looked at stars like Chicago Sky forward and LSU alum Angel Reese and have focused on her lashes or her hair compared to how she contributes to her team or she has grown as a player.
“Or even Sha’Carri Richardson, who was competing in the Olympics and people were focused on her nails,” Demps said.
So how can we encourage women to continue to pursue sports in a world where the media overlooks their achievements?
Well, Sheffield believes in promoting confidence, something he’s done for both his players like Demps and his daughters.
“We talk about being an active participant in your own rescue. Don’t be a victim,” Sheffield said. “If you’re wanting to get somewhere, then do something about it.”
Demps, on the other hand, feels that while confidence is a valuable trait, when it comes to encouraging women there has to be a healthy amount of representation for girls to look up to.
“I think it’s important for young girls to see women in the field as well,” Demps said. “Having those examples in front of them tells them that it’s okay to pursue those kinds of careers.”
With such an accomplished player like Demps, the younger generation certainly has a lot to look up to, and knowing that, Demps provided some words of encouragement she hopes will reach young girls who are interested in sports.
“Know that there are going to be people who try to put you down. It might be men – it might honestly be other girls – but as long as you believe in yourself and find a way to block that out, then you’re golden.”
