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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is tough. The purple category was a complete guess for me, and I didn’t do great on the blue category either. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, 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: Gridiron event.
Green group hint: Buckeye state.
Blue group hint: Honors pitchers.
Purple group hint: Atlanta player.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Ways a football changes possession.
Green group: Ohio teams.
Blue group: Last 4 NL Cy Young winners.
Purple group: Associated with Bijan Robinson.
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 Aug. 30, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is ways a football changes possession. The four answers are downs, fumble, interception and punt.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Ohio teams. The four answers are Bengals, Blue Jackets, Crew and Ohio State.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is last 4 NL Cy Young winners. The four answers are Alcantara, Burnes, Sale and Snell.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with Bijan Robinson. The four answers are Falcons, mustard, RB and Texas.
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.
