For months, the women’s soccer world has been preoccupied by a single question: Where would Trinity Rodman go next? At just 23, the Washington Spirit forward has firmly established herself as one of the best players on the planet, building a rabid fanbase through her vlogs, tunnel fits, game-winning goals, and signature pink braids. But given the NWSL’s salary cap limitations—in 2025, teams were allowed to spend a maximum of $3.5 million on players—it seemed all but certain that Rodman would have to leave America for more lucrative pastures in Europe.
That officially changed yesterday afternoon, when Rodman announced at a press conference that she had signed a historic deal to remain on home soil with the Spirit. The arrangement—a reported three-year contract worth over $2 million annually, including bonuses, making Rodman the highest-paid women’s soccer player on the planet—was made possible by the league’s newly-introduced High Impact Player Rule, which allows teams to subvert the salary cap for certain players. After years of watching homegrown stars like Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma head overseas for bigger paychecks, Rodman’s deal is largely considered a win for American soccer—though it’s also proved controversial with the NWSL’s players union, which has filed a grievance over the new rule.
Not long after making the announcement, Rodman logged onto Zoom to chat with me, still wearing the elegant Willy Chavarria suit and Adidas kicks she wore during the press conference. In conversation, she’s fearless in exhibiting her emotions, showing love liberally, laughing often, and being open about her insecurities. Rodman is more herself than most people you’ll meet in your lifetime. She spoke to GQ about the things that make her so: her name, being in the driver’s seat of her own life, her willingness to dress boldly, and advocating for the next generation of female athletes.
Trinity Rodman: It feels great. I’m very happy that I’ve finally actually signed the papers, and we’re ready to go. I can’t wait to fall asleep tonight. But it’s been an amazing day, amazing few weeks, and now gonna be an amazing few years.
There are so many people involved with that, but I’m happy that I am the player they’re willing to take that chance on. And a role model for the youngins; kinda setting a standard for what other players should be striving for and should be moving toward. Hopefully, this isn’t the end, and there are a lot more opportunities for me, but for other players as well.
[Laughs.] Maybe world peace is next!
World Cup champions would be the next for sure. But yeah, in terms of individual achievements, I’m not chasing anything, and I don’t think I ever have. Just ’cause you kinda put it in your brain, and then if you don’t achieve it, you disappoint yourself a lot. So I try to keep the individual stuff to a minimum and focus on just the team. The fun stuff of “oh yeah, let’s win some games, guys!” So that’s what it’s been, and I’m really happy about that. And no, no more pressure added for me.
I would say my rookie season as a whole, not even like my first goal or even the championship assist, like it’s not those key moments. It’s what created that moment. It was the whole year of the ups and downs, the failures, the cry sessions, the not believing in myself, the insecurities. Seeing myself now, it’s worth it.
Two would be the story behind the Olympic goal that I scored, the big one. Even in that game, I was very insecure and not playing well at all. Our team wasn’t performing well. The 119 minutes or whatever it was, I was second-guessing myself in every single action. And then having that moment again is a story behind a moment.
And then third, I would say, now! This moment for women’s soccer, for me. Coming back from an injury, my first camp after that injury, and getting in my rhythm again, and feeling like myself and having that smile back on the field.
The designer is Willy Chavarria. [Laughs.] I don’t wanna mispronounce his last name!
[Laughs] I know it, but when I mispronounce something, I just get in my head! But yeah, it’s just a personality suit. It’s like added flair to a normal professional suit, but they’re almost jorts—which I love. And then we got like a little red and blue in the tie, and we’ve cropped the shirt, and I’ve got my Adidas sneakers. Putting my own flair on a sophisticated look makes me feel very good about myself.
I don’t know! I keep going back to the affirmations I tell myself. People are always gonna judge. And I hate the phrase “Oh, I couldn’t wear that!” That’s my least favorite thing that people say in fashion.
I’m like, yeah, imagine just putting it on and just not caring. Then you can pull it off! But that’s just what I do. I’ll put it on, and even if I’m looking at something like, “Oh, that's ugly.” I’ll be like, “All right, let's put it on, see what happens.” And then that ends up being the moment that people are like, “That was fire.” And that’s dope.
That was Karla’s idea because I don't know if I’d had high socks on when we tried it on…initially, it was shorter socks. But she was like, let’s see a high sock pulled up, and then we pulled it up all the way, and we were like, no. Then we scrunched it a little. And we were like, ah, perfect!
It was just a really good collaborative effort, and she was very open to what I wanted as well, so it was just good, all of us bouncing off each other.
Yeah, I think so. I am just a loud, obnoxious person, and that just goes straight to fashion. So I think it's just my personality translating through what I wear.
[Laughs] I was just talking about this! There’s a phrase I say: You’re the driver, or you’re in the driving seat. And my boyfriend [Ben Shelton] introduced me to that when I was going through injury, doubting myself, prioritizing my health over the team's success. And that’s where it came from. And that’s something I repeat in my head in every single situation in life. Because it applies to everything.
Hmm…I gotta ask my mom. She was actually gonna name me Rain before Trinity. That was gonna be my first name.
[Laughs] Father, Son, Holy Spirit! A very Godly thing, and I love my name. And I love my middle name! But I’ve honestly never asked her that, which is crazy.
In a weird way, no. I was very confident in myself, with the impact that I have in the league, and to everyone out there. I just think I’m a voice for a lot of people, and I don’t know if this is a cocky way to say it or a selfish way, but I just knew that they didn’t wanna lose that aspect of the league of having somebody with a voice that can touch a lot of different groups, which I think I do.
And then obviously the skillset I have on the field. I didn’t doubt it in a weird way, even though it was up in the air for so long there, I had like hope in it the whole time.
Ashtyn Butuso is a writer and content creator at Offball, where she writes her daily newsletter on sports and pop culture.