Connections: Sports Edition

Connections: Sports Edition is a daily word puzzle from The Athletic where your mission is to group 16 sports terms into four categories of four based on a common thread.

You're presented with a 4x4 grid of words, all drawn from the sports world. Your job is to spot the patterns. Maybe it's athletes with the same last name, words that complete a phrase, or terms that share a subtle connection only a sports fan would catch.

• Select four words you think belong together and tap Submit.
• A correct group locks in and reveals its category name.
• Each wrong guess costs you one of your 4 allowed mistakes.
• Categories are color coded by difficulty, from straightforward to tricky.
• A new puzzle drops every day.

If you've played the original NYT Games Connections, then you know words often feel like they belong to multiple groups. That overlap is intentional. You need to find the one perfect solution that accounts for all 16 words.

Why we like it:

• ✅Scratches the same itch as NYT Connections but rewards sports knowledge.
• ✅Categories range from obvious to cleverly devious, keeping every puzzle fresh.
• ✅Even a tough loss teaches you something about sports history or terminology.

Hint: Start with the most specific connections first. If you spot four athletes or a phrase pattern that feels airtight, lock it in early. Save the broader, trickier categories for when you have fewer words left to sort.