NWSL Turns Heads With ‘Biased’ Ben Shelton & Trinity Rodman Coverage

“My girlfriend took the red eye from California last night to be here,” beamed an emotional Ben Shelton after his girlfriend, the Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman, joined the former’s family to cheer for the ATP star’s first 2025 US Open match. Now, with the action coming to an end at Flushing Meadows this year, it was only natural that Shelton would be the one to take up the cheerleading duties for Rodman.

Washington took on the Seattle Reign FC at Audi Field on Sunday for the NWSL action. Rodman, still en route to getting back to form from her back injury, scored two goals to help the hosts post yet another emphatic win. For understandable reasons, Shelton was seen ecstatic in the stands. However, the NWSL might have focused a little too much on the tennis star and ended up drawing soccer fans’ ire.

In the 33rd minute of last night’s game, Rodman found Leicy Santos’ perfect lobbed pass inside the penalty box and buried the ball in the back of Seattle’s net with inch-perfect precision. The stadium erupted in joy, and in a post on X by the official NWSL handle from September 7, Shelton could be seen joining in on the celebrations. “Trinity Rodman’s +1 loved that goal,” read the caption of the post, while in the accompanying video clip, the commentators can be heard discussing how the “+1” thing sounded better.

However, for the soccer fans, it felt like Shelton was being given too much attention for his girlfriend’s on-pitch triumphs. Rodman scored again later in the match to seal Seattle’s doom, and was met with a surprise guest for her post-match interview. Shelton made his way to the pitch as part of CBS’s crew to ask Rodman about her special moments from Sunday’s match. But all that only added to the fans’ grievances.

When Rodman scored her first goal since September last year against Portland last month, she was visibly emotional. “It was just the hardest thing I’ve had to go through with injury and everything. So being back, especially at the home stadium, with the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that. So yeah, I’m just really happy to be back. I miss the team. I miss doing what I love,” said the NWSL star post-match, noting how finally being able to overcome her nagging back injury felt special. Naturally, with Rodman once again making her impact felt at Sunday’s match, fans wanted to see more of her instead of being stuck on Shelton.

Well, truth be told, Rodman and Shelton frequently turn up at each other’s games to help their partners with morale support. However, considering the soccer winger only came back to action after tending to her injuries for months, fans felt like diluting her stellar feat by focusing too much on Shelton was uncalled for. And they didn’t hesitate to let their feelings be known.

Fans slam NWSL for trying to sneak past Trinity Rodman

While watching an athlete’s partner giggling in the stands isn’t a sore sight for the fans, they’re mostly concerned about the stars they tuned in to watch. With that in mind, even while Shelton’s Grand Slam heroics are something soccer fans don’t mind commending, they don’t want that appreciation to come at Rodman’s screen-time cost. “This is such a biased coverage. Nobody cares about him or them. It’s cute sometimes but not every fu***** game,” slammed one fan.

Maybe the frustration stemmed further from the fact that Ben pulled out of the 2025 US Open after a shoulder injury. Shelton retired from the third round at Flushing Meadows, while knee-deep in his match against Adrian Mannarino. Soon after that, Rodman went on Instagram to note how proud she was of her beau for fighting through his troubles, writing, “You are strength and dedication.” However, it seemed like the soccer community was less forgiving. “i am so sick of this guy,” frowned one fan, while another vented, “IT’S NOT ABOUT HIM HOLY DAMN.”

“you are a footy league the main focus THE LEAGUE SHOULD HAVE IS ON THE WOMEN,” yet another soccer enthusiast reminded the NWSL where its allegiance should reside. Following last month’s match against Portland, Rodman admitted that catching a break from her injury was long overdue, and she couldn’t be happier about her return on the pitch. Today, fans obviously wanted to see the next chapter of Trinity putting her skills on full display. But with Shelton stealing the show, the fans were left grumbling.

“why does everybody make everything about him UGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH,” one fan couldn’t help but be upset at the NWSL’s coverage of Sunday’s game. Did you also feel likewise? Or do you not mind seeing Shelton and Rodman gushing at each other’s success? Tell us your thoughts below!