Connections: Sports Edition
Sort 16 sports terms into four groups of four, with four mistakes allowed.
Every day: One board of sixteen sports names and terms a day, the same for every player: find the four groups of four before you make four mistakes. New puzzle: Midnight local time.
Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic's version of the New York Times Connections puzzle. You get 16 sports names, words and terms and have to find the four hidden groups of four before you make four mistakes. The groups mix sports trivia with wordplay, and a new board comes out each day.
About Connections: Sports Edition
Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic's first game, made with New York Times Games. It opened in beta on September 24, 2024, and launched in full on February 9, 2025, the day of Super Bowl LIX. The puzzles are written by Mark Cooper, The Athletic's managing editor for news, who took on the role of puzzle editor for the game.
It plays like the original Connections. The board shows 16 tiles. You pick four you think belong together and submit them. If you are right, the group locks in with its category name; if not, you lose one of your four mistakes. Groups are colour-coded by difficulty, from yellow for the most direct through green and blue to purple for the trickiest. You can shuffle the board at any time.
The difference is the subject. Every tile is tied to sport: players, teams, stadiums, slang and rules across many leagues. Cooper has said he aims to put a trivia category in each puzzle and to keep the purple group about wordplay, as in the original. That means you need both some sports knowledge and an eye for hidden word links.
It suits sports fans who already play Connections, and fans of trivia who want a short daily test. Results can be shared as a grid of coloured squares.
How to play Connections: Sports Edition
- Read all 16 tiles on the board.
- Select four tiles you think share a sports connection.
- Press Submit; a correct group locks in and shows its category.
- A wrong guess costs one of your four mistakes; use Shuffle to see the tiles in a new order.
- Find all four groups before your mistakes run out, then share your result.
Tips
- Look for tiles that could fit more than one group; those are the red herrings the puzzle is built around.
- Lock in the group you are surest of first, so fewer tiles are left to confuse the rest.
- Expect one group to be pure wordplay, such as hidden words or sounds, rather than sports facts.
- Think across sports: a name you know from one league may also be a term in another.
- Shuffle the tiles when you are stuck; seeing them in a new order often breaks a false pattern.
Questions
Is Connections: Sports Edition free?
Yes, the daily puzzle is free to play on The Athletic's website.
How many mistakes can I make?
Four. On the fourth wrong guess the game ends and the answers are shown.
When does a new puzzle come out?
Every day at midnight in your local time.
Is it in the NYT Games app?
No. It is published by The Athletic and played on its site, not inside the NYT Games app.
Who writes the puzzles?
Mark Cooper, The Athletic's managing editor for news, who is also the game's puzzle editor.
Games like Connections: Sports Edition
Connections
The original NYT grouping puzzle this edition is based on
Pinpoint
A daily game about guessing what links a set of words
Strands
Another NYT daily where you work out a hidden theme
Crossclimb
A short daily word puzzle built on clues and links between words
Wordle
The NYT daily most Connections players start with
The Dozen: Daily Trivia
Nine hard trivia questions on a 3 by 3 grid, with one second chance.
Right Again! Trivia Sports
A daily round of sports trivia from AARP, from football to tennis.
Harmonies
Sort sixteen music tiles into four groups of four before your fourth mistake.