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My blue group hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition is geared toward Saturday Night Live fans, but if you know your basketball, you should be fine. I think the green group is even easier than the yellow group, but that might depend on how much time you’ve spent on the water. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: WKRP.
Green group hint: Ahoy!
Blue group hint: The only prescription is more cowbell.
Purple group hint: Fancy fores.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Cincinnati teams, minus the S.
Green group: Sailing terms.
Blue group: Members of the Indiana Fever.
Purple group: “Royal” Open Championship venues.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 17, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is Cincinnati teams, minus the S. The four answers are Bearcat, Bengal, Musketeer and Red.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is sailing terms. The four answers are hull, keel, mast and rudder.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is members of the Indiana Fever. The four answers are Boston, Clark, Howard and Mitchell.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is “Royal” Open Championship venues. The four answers are Birkdale, Liverpool, Portrush and St. George’s.
