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Connections: Sports Edition is a bit tricky today. Hope you know your French athletes! 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: Not last.
Green group hint: College conference.
Blue group hint: Oui oui!
Purple group hint: Top hoopsters.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: In front of.
Green group: ACC schools.
Blue group: French star athletes, past and present.
Purple group: Last 4 WNBA No. 1 picks.
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 May 16, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is in front of. The four answers are ahead, leading, on top and up.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is ACC schools. The four answers are Duke, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Virginia.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is French star athletes, past and present. The four answers are Henry, Parker, Wembanyama and Zidane.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is last 4 WNBA No. 1 picks. The four answers are Boston, Bueckers, Clark and Howard.
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.
