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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. The blue category is about a backyard game that I just don’t think of as a true sport, and the purple category is one of those patented NYT word-trickery groups. 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: Ted Lasso.
Green group hint: Go west!
Blue group hint: Neigh!
Purple group hint: Team name is part of the word.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Soccer positions.
Green group: AL West teams, minus the S.
Blue group: Horseshoes terms.
Purple group: Starts with a WNBA team.
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 June 30, 2025, #280.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is soccer positions. The four answers are fullback, goalkeeper, midfielder and striker.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is AL West teams, minus the S. The four answers are Angel, Athletic, Mariner and Ranger.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is horseshoes terms. The four answers are inning, leaner, ringer and stakes.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is starts with a WNBA team. The four answers are dreamt, skydiving, sunbathe and wingspan.
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.
