Connections: Sports Edition

The Coffee Shop
1566

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I had 1 mistake on puzzle #500. Average mistakes: 1.3
:green_circle::green_circle::blue_circle::green_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
Play the puzzle: Connections: Sports Edition - Group sports terms that share a common thread - The Athletic

1567

Interview with the guy who makes up the puzzles:

I’ll get right to my main question: How the f— do you keep coming up with these boards?

:speech_balloon: I ask myself that question all the time. Short answer: Between a notebook I keep for Connections ideas and the notes app on my phone, I’m always jotting down words and playing a word-association game to find fun ways to match them up. I look for double meanings, words within words, how you can manipulate words by adding/subtracting/changing a letter, how I can take four words that should fit together and build four separate categories around them.

Sometimes a single category sits in my notebook for weeks until I figure out how to use it, and other times it’s more of a eureka moment.

What’s the clue that has made people the angriest so far?

:speech_balloon: Hard to choose just one! Homophones of NFL QBs (Knicks, May, Hertz, Borough) sparked some responses. I did an all-movie-themed board for Oscars night last year that proved to be extremely difficult and remains the hardest one we’ve ever done.

Mark also told me to look out for Olympics boards throughout the Games and a Super Bowl edition this Sunday. Fun.

1568

Connections: Sports Edition

:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1569

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 01:29
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #501. Average mistakes: 2.3
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:

1570

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 00:36
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #501. Average mistakes: 2.3
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
Play the puzzle: Connections: Sports Edition - Group sports terms that share a common thread - The Athletic

1571

Connections: Sports Edition
Puzzle #501
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1572

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #501. Average mistakes: 2.3
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
Play the puzzle: Connections: Sports Edition - Group sports terms that share a common thread - The Athletic

1573

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 02:10
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #502 ranked average difficulty. Average solve rate: 38%
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::green_circle::yellow_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1574

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 01:38
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #502 ranked average difficulty. Average solve rate: 39%
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::green_circle::yellow_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

I lived in the bay area for 25 years and I have no idea who the Valkyries are.

1575

WNBA team, founded in 2025. I guessed as it was the only team sounding choice left. Then had to look it up.

1576

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 00:57
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #503 and found the same first category as 13% of players.
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1577

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #503 and found the same first category as 31% of players.
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:

1578

Bounced back after crapping the bed yesterday

1579

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 01:33
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #503 and found the same first category as 51% of players.
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1580

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #504 in 01:11. Average time: 02:26
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1581

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #504. Average mistakes: 2.2
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:

1582

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I solved puzzle #504 in 01:10. Average time: 02:28
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:

1583

Connections: Sports Edition
Seattle Seahawks Puzzle
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
Play the puzzle: Connections: Sports Edition - Group sports terms that share a common thread - The Athletic

1584

Connections: Sports Edition
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #505. Average mistakes: 0.8
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle:
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:

1585

Connections: Sports Edition
Time: 00:47
My stats are in! I had 0 mistakes on puzzle #505. Average mistakes: 0.8
:yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle::yellow_circle:
:blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle::blue_circle:
:green_circle::green_circle::green_circle::green_circle:
:purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle::purple_circle: