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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is tricky. If you see three words describing kinds of shirts, like I did, you might wonder where the fourth one is — but of course, the puzzle editors are never this obvious. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for 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: Pass the cheese.
Green group hint: Giddy-up!
Blue group hint: Fore!
Purple group hint: Letter after S.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A Wisconsin athlete.
Green group: Equestrian sports.
Blue group: Golfers in this year’s Ryder Cup.
Purple group: What “T” might mean.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is a Wisconsin athlete. The four answers are Badger, Brewer, Buck and Packer.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is equestrian sports. The four answers are polo, rodeo, steeplechase and thoroughbred racing.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is golfers in this year’s Ryder Cup. The four answers are English, Fleetwood, Henley and Rose.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what “T” might mean. The four answers are short-sleeve shirt, tackle, technical and timeout.
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Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.
#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
