The New York Times’ The Athletic released today’s Sports Edition of the Connections puzzle (#458) on December 25th. This daily word game challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories, requiring both sports knowledge and logical deduction. Here’s a breakdown of the answers, hints, and difficulty levels.
Puzzle Overview
The Connections puzzle is a spin-off from the main NYT Games suite, published by The Athletic. It’s available via The Athletic app or online for free; it doesn’t appear in the standard NYT Games app. The puzzle’s difficulty varies, often testing familiarity with niche sports trivia.
Hints & Solutions
The categories for today’s puzzle are as follows, ranked from easiest to hardest:
- Yellow: A staple of the diamond.
- Green: A legendary player’s signature scandal.
- Blue: The future of the gridiron.
- Purple: A global celebration of athletic prowess.
The solutions are:
- Yellow Group: Baseball bat materials – Aluminum, Ash, Birch, Maple.
- Green Group: Associated with George Brett – 5, Pine Tar, Royals, Third Base. This refers to Brett’s infamous pine tar incident on his bat in 1983.
- Blue Group: NFL Rookie WRs – Burden, Egbuka, Golden, McMillan. These are wide receivers drafted into the NFL in recent years.
- Purple Group: Olympic ____ – Games, Rings, Torch, Village. A reference to elements synonymous with the Olympic Games.
Most Challenging Puzzles
Some past Connections puzzles have proven particularly difficult for many players:
- Series A Clubs (Jan. 11): Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma – Requires knowledge of Italian soccer.
- WNBA MVPs (Jan. 21): Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles, Stewart – Tests familiarity with women’s basketball stars.
- Premier League Team Nicknames (Jan. 17): Bees, Cherries, Foxes, Hammers – Demands specialized knowledge of English soccer club monikers.
The difficulty of these puzzles highlights the importance of sports-specific knowledge in solving them. While some categories may be straightforward for enthusiasts, others require dedicated research or insider familiarity.
The NYT Connections Sports Edition provides a daily dose of mental stimulation for sports fans. Whether you’re a casual observer or a die-hard follower, the puzzle offers a unique way to test your knowledge and sharpen your deductive reasoning.
