The Sports Rapport

NFL football is back tomorrow night, when the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a week one rematch of Super Bowl LX.

This week on The Sports Rapport, host Mitch Wertlieb is joined by Brian Stevenson — Vermont Public's resident Patriots fan — and producer Nathaniel Wilson to go through the 10 numbers that will define the upcoming Patriots season.

Guest:

Brian Stevenson, huge Patriots fan and managing director of production at Vermont Public

Do you have a topic or guest you want to see on The Sports Rapport? Email us at [email protected]

Vermont high school sports are back after many K-12 students across the state returned to classrooms last week.

This week on The Sports Rapport, sports reporters Alex Abrami and Judith Altneu from the Burlington Free Press, and Tom Haley from the Rutland Herald are back on the show to go over the storylines they're most interested in covering this season.

Guests:

Tom Haley, Rutland Herald sports reporter

Alex Abrami, Burlington Free Press sports reporter

Judith Altneu, Burlington Free Press sports reporter

Do you have a topic or guest you want to see on The Sports Rapport? Email us at [email protected]

The #7 University of Vermont men's soccer team played #18 Charlotte University of North Carolina at Charlotte to a 2-2 draw on Friday, and Vermont's field hockey team is off to it's best start in ten years.

The Boston Red Sox fell 16-1 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx last night to cap off a 1-3 series versus the Bronx Bombers.

All that and more in about five minutes each Monday on The Sports Rapport and Vermont Public.

Do you have a topic you want to hear about on The Sports Rapport's High Five? Email us at [email protected]

The Boston Red Sox are still hot, and MyNBC5 Weekday Sports Anchor Jack Main is back on the show to discuss the club's incredible turnaround (1:26).

Jack, host Mitch Wertlieb and producer Nathaniel Wilson also break down their all-time favorite sports turnarounds: Super Bowl LI, the 2004 ALCS, and the 2016-17 Miami Heat season (26:16).

Plus, the trio reacts to Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland's new hairdo, which Mitch describes as the biggest story going on in sports today (38:03).

Guest:

Jack Main, MyNBC5 weekday sports anchor

Do you have a topic or guest you want to see on The Sports Rapport? Email us at [email protected]

The University of Vermont women's soccer team is still searching for its first win this season, but UVM's men's team if off to a hot start under new head coach, Adrian Dubois. The St. Michael's College soccer teams and the UVM field hockey team are also set to kick off their fall seasons.

Plus, the Boston Red Sox experienced some excitement during this weekend's series sweep over the San Francisco Giants. The Sox have continued their winning ways and appear to be on a collision course with longtime rivals, the New York Yankees, in the AL Wild Card Series. 

All that and more in about five minutes each Monday on The Sports Rapport and Vermont Public.

Do you have a topic you want to hear about on The Sports Rapport's High Five? Email us at [email protected]

The team finished the regular season with a league-best record of 42-15-1. Plus, updates on UVM women's soccer, the Champlain Mariners and more.

This week on The Sports Rapport, host Mitch Wertlieb and producer Nathaniel Wilson recount some of their worst sports injuries (0:28), see where things stand with the Boston Red Sox (4:18), and share the top five moments of the last week in Vermont sports in the High Five (10:49).

Game On VT's Louis Hodgetts and The Pop's Laney Bevill and Theresa “Tree” Bertram join us in-studio to talk about America's fastest growing sport: pickleball! The crew discusses the game, some of the mental and physical benefits of play, and where people can play in Vermont (13:32).

Plus, University of Vermont field hockey head coach Kate Pfeifer and women's soccer head coach Kristi Huizenga preview their teams and upcoming seasons ahead of the rapidly approaching fall (37:01). 

Guests:

Louis Hodgetts, Game on VT owner/founder

Laney Bevill, The Pop owner

Theresa "Tree" Bertram, pickleball instructor at The Pop

Kate Pfeifer, UVM field hockey head coach

Kristi Huizenga, UVM women's soccer head coach

Vermont Green FC is once again at the center of the biggest story in Vermont sports.

We speak with two-time USL2 champion, 2026 USL2 Defender of the Year, and VGFC men's captain Brandon Marshall about the team's second consecutive undefeated championship season (8:43).

More from Vermont Public: Vermont Green FC men win second consecutive national championship

The Boston Red Sox are still red hot after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. We check in with Boston Globe's Sox beat writer Tim Healey about what Monday's trade deadline and the rest of the season have in store (19:35).

Plus, Nikki Hayes and Linda Dyer preview the upcoming Dragonheart Vermont's Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival (40:35).

We also highlight the top five stories in Vermont sports from the last week (6:05).

Guests:

Brandon Marshall, Vermont Green FC men's captain

Tim Healey, Boston Globe Red Sox beat writer

Nikki Hayes, Dragonheart Vermont paddler

Linda Dyer, Dragonheart Vermont founder

It's the dead of summer and that means it's baseball season, folks.

This week on The Sports Rapport, Vermont Public senior reporter Liam Elder-Connors joins the top of the show to discuss the recent 15-game Boston Red Sox win streak and his baseball fandom (:32).

Mitch and Nathaniel also break down the top five moments of the last week in Vermont sports in the High Five (17:24).

Back to baseball, Braves Today's Lindsay Crosby calls in to discuss recent Atlanta Braves draft pick Kaiden McCarthy of Chester, Vermont, and his place in the organization (20:07).

Plus, Vermont Lake Monsters players Travis Stroh and Chase Burrows drop by on the heels of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League All-Star break to talk about the summer and the Monster's spot atop the league standings (35:53).

Guests:

Liam Elder-Connors, Vermont Public senior reporter

Lindsay Crosby, Braves Today

Travis Stroh, Vermont Lake Monsters outfielder

Chase Burrows, Vermont Lake Monsters pitcher

Do you have a topic or guest you want to see on The Sports Rapport? Email us at [email protected]

This week on The Sports Rapport, we're coming off another soccer-heavy weekend in Vermont with the World Cup wrapping up and a big weekend for Vermont Green FC.

Host Mitch Wertlieb and producer Nathaniel Wilson discuss Spain's victory over Argentina in the World Cup Final (:30), and try not to single-handedly end the Boston Red Sox's 13-game winning streak (6:22). They also break down the top five moments from the last week in Vermont Sports in the High Five (10:05).

Mike Popovitch is back on the show and he brought They Play in Green podcast co-hosts Sara Laroche and Abbie Israel along to discuss the biggest weekend in Vermont Green FC's history. The women in green hung tight with Salmon Bay FC in Seattle during the USL W League Final before falling 4-5 on penalty kicks (12:44). The men's team stays undefeated, winning two playoff games in Burlington (25:57).

Plus, Executive Director of the Vermont Principals' Association of Activities and Athletics, Lauren Young sat down with Mitch Wertlieb to discuss the current state of Vermont high school athletics and her forthcoming book, Lead Anyway: The Glow-Up Guide to Leadership That’s Real, Not Perfect, which is due for a November release (41:28). 

Guests:

Sara Laroche, They Play in Green podcast host

Abbie Israel, They Play in Green podcast host

Mike Popovitch, They Play in Green podcast host

Lauren Young, Executive Director of the Vermont Principals' Association of Activities and Athletics