What is Connections: Sports Edition?
Connections: Sports Edition takes the much-loved Connections puzzle and gives it a sporting twist. You get sixteen words or names on the board, and your job is to sort them into four groups of four that share something in common. Here, the links come from the world of sport: teams, players, stadiums, nicknames, positions, rules and famous moments, from football and basketball to tennis and beyond. As in the original, the board is full of red herrings, so a name that seems to fit one group often belongs somewhere else, and you can only make a few mistakes before the game is over. The groups also range in difficulty, so the last one standing is usually the trickiest. It is made by The Athletic, the sports newsroom of The New York Times, together with NYT Games. It suits sports fans who already play Connections, and anyone who enjoys a mix of wordplay and sports knowledge.
How to play
- Pick four items you think belong together and submit them.
- Find all four groups of four. Each group shares a sporting link.
- You can only make a few mistakes, so watch out for red herrings.
Quick facts
- Typical time
- 3–8 min
- Difficulty
- Medium · harder if you don't follow North American sport
- Price
- Free to play.
- Account
- Not needed. Log in if you want your stats tracked.
- On a phone
- Works in your phone's browser. Nothing to install.
Tips to get better
- Sort by sport first. Go through all sixteen and note which sport each one could belong to. The names that fit two sports are where the traps are.
- Expect North American sport. American football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey and college teams come up most. A word that means nothing to you may be a team nickname or a stadium.
- Think beyond players and teams. Groups can be positions, equipment, trophies, mascots, host cities or scoring terms like 'birdie' and 'love'.
- Look for word tricks. As in the original, the hardest group is often about the words themselves, such as team names with something hidden inside.
- Solve around what you don't know. Build groups from the names you recognise. The ones you've never heard of will be what's left.
Who it's for
For sports fans who already like Connections and want a board where their knowledge pays off. It's made with The Athletic, and the misdirection is as sly as in the original. It leans heavily on North American sport, so European football fans will find some boards hard. If you don't follow sport at all, stay with the regular Connections.
