**Connections: Sports Edition – A Fresh Challenge for Sports Aficionados**
*Connections: Sports Edition* is the newest twist on the popular *New York Times* word game, crafted to challenge sports fans’ expertise.
Just like the original *Connections*, the aim is to discover the “common links among words.” Similar to *Wordle*, this game resets every day at midnight, with each fresh puzzle offering an increased level of difficulty. If you find yourself stuck, we have hints and suggestions to assist you.
If you just want to find today’s answer, scroll to the conclusion of this article. However, if you’d rather solve the puzzle on your own, continue reading for clues, techniques, and advice to enhance your skills.
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### What Is *Connections: Sports Edition*?
This innovative daily word game from the *New York Times* is developed in partnership with *The Athletic*, the NYT’s sports-centered platform. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices, the game invites players to classify four words that share a common theme.
Each puzzle features 16 words, segmented into four categories. These classifications could include everything from book titles to software names, nations, and beyond. While some words may appear to belong together, there’s only one correct grouping for each set.
When players successfully identify a cluster of four, those words are removed from the board. However, incorrect choices are counted as errors, and players are permitted up to four mistakes before the game concludes.
To simplify the game, players can shuffle the board for easier identification of connections. Each group is also color-coded for difficulty: yellow (easiest), followed by green, blue, and purple. And just like *Wordle*, you can share your results with pals on social media.
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### Hints for Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories
Need a bit of help without ruining the excitement? Here are some hints for today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Pertaining to injuries
– **Green:** Linked to Oregon sports
– **Blue:** Rookie quarterbacks achieving playoff success
– **Purple:** Share the same first name
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### Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories
For more specific assistance, here are today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Discomfort
– **Green:** An athlete from Oregon
– **Blue:** Rookie QBs that reached a conference championship
– **Purple:** Jalen _______
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### The Solution to Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition*
Still perplexed? Here’s the solution to today’s puzzle:
– **Discomfort:** ACHE, DISCOMFORT, PAIN, STING
– **An athlete from Oregon:** BEAVER, THORN, TIMBER, TRAIL BLAZER
– **Rookie QBs that reached a conference championship:** DANIELS, FLACCO, PURDY, SANCHEZ
– **Jalen _______:** BRUNSON, HURTS, RAMSEY, ROSE
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Don’t be disheartened if you didn’t solve today’s puzzle—tomorrow brings new possibilities! A fresh *Connections* challenge awaits each day, and we’ll be here with additional hints and solutions to help you.
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### Looking for More Games?
If puzzles are your thing, check out Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.
And if you are also playing *NYT Strands*, we have [hints and answers for today’s puzzle](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-january-25) ready for you.
Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the solution](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-january-25-2025).
Happy puzzling!