The “Connections: Sports Edition” game debuted on February 9, coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday. This game emerged from beta testing, indicating its popularity among players, which has led The Athletic, owned by The New York Times, to incorporate it into their app. While it’s now hosted on The Athletic’s platform, players can still access it for free online. This reflects the growing demand for innovative and engaging sports-related puzzles, fostering a community of both casual and dedicated players.
Today’s puzzle presents a variety of themed groupings. Players often find that the more challenging purple category remains elusive until they’ve tackled the simpler groups. The game categorizes its hints, providing users with strategies to identify themes effectively: the yellow group hints at Missouri teams, green hints at Maryland teams, blue hints at Hall of Fame football coaches, and the purple group revolves around sports terms or people beginning with the name of an animal.
The yellow group answers correlate specifically to Missouri teams, naming teams like the Blues, Cardinals, Chiefs, and Royals. Contextually, these teams are vital to the sports culture in Missouri, representing the state’s enthusiasm for both hockey and baseball, as well as football. In contrast, the green category focuses on Maryland teams, highlighting the Maryland Terrapins, Navy Midshipmen, Baltimore Orioles, and Baltimore Ravens. This selection emphasizes Maryland’s rich sporting history, particularly in college football and Major League Baseball.
The blue group addresses the realm of Hall of Fame football coaches, including names like Levy, Madden, Noll, and Shula. Each of these coaches has made significant contributions to the sport, shaping not just their teams but the NFL’s history overall. Their inclusion in the puzzle not only serves to challenge players but also pays homage to the impactful legacies they’ve created over the years, further engaging fans and players with the history of football.
The purple group takes a quirky twist, asking players to identify sports terms or figures that begin with animal names. Answers include batter, Catchings, Cowherd, and dogleg, showcasing a whimsical, less conventional side of sports. This category challenges players to think outside the box, requiring familiarity with both common sports vocabulary and names that are less frequently associated with the typical landscape of athletics, further enhancing the fun and competitive spirit of the game.
Overall, “Connections: Sports Edition” encapsulates the essence of engaging and interactive sports-themed puzzles. By mixing straightforward categories with more complex and whimsical elements, it caters to a wide range of players, from novices to seasoned enthusiasts. With its solid integration into The Athletic’s offerings and the ability to play online, the game solidifies the growing intersection between digital gaming and sports, cultivating a lively community of puzzle-solvers and sports fans alike.
