The New York Times’ Connections: Sports Edition, a daily word puzzle from The Athletic, challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories with a shared theme. Today’s edition, released January 13th (#477), proved particularly difficult, testing knowledge of New York sports, fencing terminology, college basketball arenas, and even obscure sports-related nicknames.
Puzzle Breakdown and Solutions
The puzzle is designed to require both general knowledge and specific sports awareness. Here’s a breakdown of the groupings and their solutions:
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Yellow Group: Teams that play in New York State. The correct answers are Bills, Islanders, Mets, and Sabres. This category relies on familiarity with professional sports franchises in the state.
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Green Group: Fencing terms. The solutions are en garde, epee, foil, and piste. This grouping requires knowledge of the Olympic sport of fencing.
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Blue Group: College basketball venues. The correct answers are Hinkle, Palestra, Pauley, and The Pit. These are iconic arenas across American college basketball.
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Purple Group: Bills. The solutions are Cowher, Parcells, Russell, and Self. This category references coaches named Bill, a less-obvious connection designed to be the most challenging group.
Accessibility and Format
Connections: Sports Edition is available through The Athletic app or directly on their website, offering a free alternative to the NYT Games app. The puzzle is published daily and known for its increasing difficulty.
Why This Matters
Word puzzles like Connections are gaining popularity, offering a mental workout and a daily challenge for casual and dedicated players alike. The Sports Edition specifically caters to sports fans, testing their knowledge in a unique format. This puzzle, like others in the series, highlights how seemingly unrelated words can be linked through deeper, often niche, connections.
