Representing the national soccer team, scoring 34 goals and 26 assists in her NWSL career and being one of the youngest people to ever do so, Trinity Rodman has surely made a name for herself. However, when she was reduced to just the identity of her partner, Ben Shelton, people didn’t take it well. And NBC broadcaster Kylen Mills was one of the people who didn’t hesitate to call people out on this.

“Nooooo, SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe just said during the highlight, “Trinity Rodman, Ben Shelton’s girlfriend, is there.” Can we at least get a soccer star? USWNT or NWSL star Trinity Rodman?” asked Kylen Mills on X.

“For the record I generally love Nicole but Trin gets so much disrespect from so many, first it was always “Dennis Rodman’s daughter” now “Ben Shelton’s girlfriend” when she’s a generational soccer talent who’s won Olympic gold,” she added.

The pattern of her being recognized by her relationships has moved from Munich to Wimbledon and New York. Strangely enough, Rodman herself has rarely seemed bothered by being called Shelton’s girlfriend.

The first instance came at the BMW Open in Munich in 2025. Rodman made her players’ box debut while Shelton played Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals. Coverage around her appearance naturally identified her through Shelton, calling her his girlfriend.

She was already an Olympic gold medalist and established USWNT star by that time. That caught the attention of some fans but didn’t cause much of a ruckus.

But at Wimbledon, the issue became much more personal for Trinity Rodman.

During Shelton’s match against Lorenzo Sonego, BBC commentator Andrew Castle repeatedly called her “Tiffany” instead of Trinity. He also brought up her father, Dennis Rodman, while discussing Shelton’s support box during the match.

Rodman responded publicly, writing, “For those who don’t know, my name is TRINITY, not Tiffany.”

And she even went on to criticize them for bringing up her father. Interestingly, Rodman did not make the same public objection when her relationship with Shelton became the center of everything.

After winning the Boss Open in Stuttgart in June 2026, Shelton thanked his girlfriend and called her his “lucky charm.” ESPN then introduced Rodman during Shelton’s first-round US Open match as “Ben Shelton’s girlfriend.”

The broadcast graphic also read, “Ben’s girlfriend & USWNT player,” putting their relationship ahead of the identity she has made for herself.

Rather than criticize the introduction, Trinity Rodman appeared to lean into the relationship when she returned for Shelton’s second-round match. She watched him face Hubert Hurkacz wearing a shirt that read, “I ❤️ MY BOYFRIEND.” The timing made the outfit feel especially playful, coming shortly after ESPN’s introduction had sparked massive criticism.

Rodman has clearly shown that being Shelton’s girlfriend is something she embraces, even when others question it.

But that does not mean we take away her achievements when she enters the tennis stadium. 

Rodman became the NWSL’s youngest-ever draft pick at 18 when the team picked her in 2021. In the same year, she won the NWSL Rookie of the Year award and U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. She also went on to win the Olympics gold with the USWNT in 2024, the first gold since winning it back in 2012.

She has also become the youngest to start 100 games in the NWSL and the youngest to reach 10 goals and 10 assists. Rodman even has a rule named after her, nicknamed the “Rodman Rule,” after signing the historic $6 million contract at the start of 2026.

All this shows that at the age of 24, she has done enough to be talked about as herself rather than her relationships.