The New York Times’ The Athletic released its daily Connections: Sports Edition puzzle today, April 1st, posing a challenge for sports fans. The game, available on The Athletic ‘s app or online, tests players’ ability to group words under shared themes. Here’s a breakdown of today’s puzzle, including hints and the solutions.
Understanding Connections: Sports Edition
This daily puzzle isn’t part of the main NYT Games lineup; it’s exclusive to The Athletic, the Times-owned sports journalism platform. The game presents sixteen words that fall into four categories of four, requiring players to identify the connections. Difficulty varies, with some puzzles leaning heavily into niche sports knowledge.
Hints for Today’s Groups
If you’re stuck, here are hints, ranked from easiest to hardest:
- Yellow Group: Historically rooted in a specific college athletic conference.
- Green Group: Relates to a popular extreme sport.
- Blue Group: Features films centered around professional basketball.
- Purple Group: All answers share the same first name.
The Solutions: Revealed
Here’s how the puzzle breaks down:
- Yellow Group: The connection is Big Ten teams. The words are: Cornhuskers, Hoosiers, Scarlet Knights, and Terrapins.
- Green Group: The connection is skateboarding terms. The words are: Fakie, Kickflip, Lipslide, and Ollie.
- Blue Group: The connection is basketball movies. The words are: Air, Blue Chips, Hustle, and Semi-Pro.
- Purple Group: The connection is Jim ____. The words are: Calhoun, Nantz, Thome, and Thorpe.
Notably Difficult Categories from Past Puzzles
Previous editions have included notoriously challenging categories. For example:
- Serie A Clubs: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma
- WNBA MVPs: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles, Stewart
- Premier League Team Nicknames: Bees, Cherries, Foxes, Hammers
- Homophones of NBA Player Names: Barns, Connect, Heart, Hero
The difficulty of Connections: Sports Edition depends on the player’s sports knowledge; a Formula 1 enthusiast will likely breeze through related puzzles, while someone unfamiliar may struggle. The puzzle is designed to test broad sports literacy, not just surface-level familiarity.
