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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a very non-American term in the supposedly easy yellow category. It’s a word I associate with movies, not sports, and I never would’ve known the sports reference. If you’re struggling but still want to solve the puzzle, 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 show up in the NYT Games app but appears 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: Boss.
Green group hint: Top choices.
Blue group hint: Nostalgic names.
Purple group hint: Cookie Monster’s favorite letter.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Leader of a team.
Green group: NFL Draft No. 1 picks
Blue group: Former MLB team names
Purple group: What “C” 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 completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 8, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is leader of a team. The four answers are coach, gaffer, manager and skipper.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is NFL Draft No. 1 picks. The four answers are Carr, Couch, Luck and Manning.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is former MLB team names. The four answers are Browns, Expos, Pilots and Senators.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what “C” might mean. The four answers are captain, catcher, Celtics and center.
