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Connections: Sports Edition was pretty easy for me today. The yellow group comes together quite easily once you think of the same action that can be done with a few of the words. If you're familiar with the teams of a certain midwestern state, you've got the blue group covered too. 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. You can also 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: Toss it!
Green group hint: Let's play.
Blue group hint: The Buckeye State.
Purple group hint: Put the same letter before them.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Throwing events.
Green group: Often found in a game room.
Blue group: Ohio sports teams.
Purple group: Words that can be preceded by T-.
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 April 16, 2025, #205.
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is throwing events. The four answers are discus, hammer, javelin and shot put.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is often found in a game room. The four answers are air hockey, foosball, ping pong and pool.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is Ohio sports teams. The four answers are Bearcats, Bengals, Cavaliers and Reds.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is words that can be preceded by T-. The four answers are ball, Mac, shirt and Wolves.
Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition
#1: Don't grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?
#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.
#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it's also the last name of at least one pro athlete.