This article discusses the New York Times’ Connections: Sports Edition game, a beta puzzle currently available for free online. The game challenges players to group four sets of four words based on a shared connection or theme. The article provides hints and ultimately reveals the answers for the January 16, 2025, puzzle. Interestingly, the author, a Minnesota Wild fan, notes how the puzzle cleverly uses “Wild” as a red herring, leading players to initially categorize it with NHL teams before revealing its true connection to card types.
The structure of the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle involves four color-coded groups: yellow, green, blue, and purple. The author rates the difficulty of each group, with yellow being the easiest and purple often presenting the most unusual or challenging connections. For the January 16th puzzle, the yellow group focuses on members of a sports team’s staff, encompassing roles like coach, manager, scout, and trainer. This group is considered the most straightforward due to the obvious professional relationship between the terms.
The green group initially appears to revolve around NHL teams with singular nicknames, such as Avalanche, Kraken, and Lightning. However, the inclusion of “Wild,” which fits this category, is a deliberate misdirection. The actual connection is revealed later, shifting “Wild” to the purple group and leaving the green group focused solely on the NHL teams. The inclusion of “Utah Hockey Club” is noteworthy, as it is not a current NHL team. This suggests a potential error or fictional element within the puzzle itself, adding another layer of complexity.
The blue group centers around sports teams based in Orlando, Florida. This category includes the Orlando Magic (NBA), Orlando City (MLS), Orlando Pride (NWSL), and UCF (University of Central Florida Knights, representing collegiate sports). This grouping represents a more geographically focused connection, requiring players to have some familiarity with Orlando’s sports landscape.
Finally, the purple group, considered the most challenging, is united by the theme of “____ card.” The four words are lineup, trading, wild, and yellow. This category requires a broader understanding of various card types used in sports and games, ranging from lineup cards in team sports to trading cards and the various card types found in card games (like a “wild card” or a “yellow card” in soccer).
The article serves as a guide for players struggling with the daily Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, providing hints to nudge them in the right direction before ultimately revealing the solutions. The author’s personal anecdote about being misled by the “Wild” placement adds a relatable element for fellow sports fans, highlighting the strategic element of misdirection employed within the game’s design. The inclusion of the seemingly incorrect “Utah Hockey Club” raises questions about the puzzle’s accuracy and potentially hints at future developments within the NHL or perhaps a fictional element within the game itself.
The article concludes by reiterating the game’s beta status, emphasizing its current free availability and the uncertainty of its future as a permanent fixture in the New York Times Games app. This suggests the Times is gauging player interest and feedback before making a final decision on the game’s long-term inclusion. Ultimately, the article provides a snapshot of a new and evolving word puzzle game, offering insights into its mechanics, challenges, and potential future.
