**Connections: Sports Edition – An Exciting Challenge for Sports Aficionados**
*Connections: Sports Edition* presents a fresh spin on the renowned [*New York Times* word game](https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections), crafted particularly to evaluate the acumen of sports fans.
Analogous to the original *Connections*, this game invites players to pinpoint “shared connections among words.” Similar to *Wordle*, the puzzle refreshes daily at midnight, with each new word set gradually increasing in difficulty. If you’re feeling challenged, we’ve prepared some hints and strategies to assist you—or you can skip straight to today’s answer.
—
### What Exactly Is *Connections: Sports Edition*?
This innovative daily word game from the *New York Times* was created in partnership with *The Athletic*, the publication’s sports-centric outlet. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile platforms, the game requires players to categorize four words that adhere to a common theme.
Each challenge comprises 16 words, sorted into four distinct categories. These categories may include sports-related vocabulary or extend to broader subjects such as book titles, software, or country names. While some terms might appear to fit several categories, there is solely one correct answer for each grouping.
When players successfully identify all four words in a category, those words are eliminated from the board. However, wrong guesses are counted as errors, and players have a limit of four mistakes per game. To aid your efforts, players may shuffle the board to uncover connections more effortlessly.
Each category is color-coded based on difficulty: yellow denotes the easiest, progressing to green, blue, and purple. Similar to *Wordle*, players can share their outcomes with friends via social media.
—
### Hints for Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories
Looking for some guidance? Here are hints for today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Safeguards for your head in football
– **Green:** Types of shots on the basketball court
– **Blue:** Mascots for women’s basketball teams
– **Purple:** Names that resemble baseball players
—
### Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories and Solutions
Still feeling stuck? Here’s the rundown of today’s categories and their answers:
1. **Components of a football helmet**:
– **CHIN STRAP, FACE MASK, PADS, SHELL**
2. **Basketball shot types**:
– **BANK, FADEAWAY, FLOATER, PULL-UP**
3. **WNBA team mascots**:
– **BLAZE, BUCKETS, DOPPLER, ELLIE**
4. **Homophones for MLB All-Stars**:
– **BETS, BURNS, SAIL, WIT**
—
### How to Engage with *Connections: Sports Edition*
The objective of the game is to uncover four sets of words that possess a common link. Each puzzle showcases 16 words, and players must determine how to organize them into groups of four. Take heed—incorrect choices will count towards your mistakes, and you’re allowed only four missteps before the game concludes.
To simplify the gameplay, players can shuffle the board for a new viewpoint. Once you identify a category, those words will vanish, facilitating a more focused approach to the remaining groups.
—
### Strategies for Achieving Success
– Focus on obvious associations first, like sports gear or team names.
– If you find yourself struggling, shuffle the board—it may reveal patterns you’ve overlooked.
– Keep an eye on the color-coded difficulty ratings: begin with yellow (the easiest) and ascend to purple (the hardest).
—
### No Need to Panic If You Missed It
If today’s puzzle eluded you, don’t worry! A fresh *Connections: Sports Edition* puzzle will debut tomorrow, and we’ll be available with additional hints and answers to assist you.
In search of more puzzles? Visit [Mashable’s games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, crosswords, and beyond. Also, if you’re participating in *NYT Strands*, [here are today’s hints and solutions](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-december-26).
—
Prepared to challenge your skills once more tomorrow? Keep playing, and don’t forget to relay your results to friends!